


MaeIso Fic Collections

by MelissaMcEagle



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-03-15 20:08:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3460316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelissaMcEagle/pseuds/MelissaMcEagle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of MaeIso drabbles, one shots, and ficlets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sickness

**Author's Note:**

> Isogai gets sick, Maehara takes care of him.

“Yuuma, I’m going to get you some soup, okay?” Maehara called from the kitchen. Isogai simply replied with a coughing fit. 

He had to, of course, get a cold. He was bedridden (or in this case, couch-ridden), and barely wanted to move. Maehara had not left his side since he had realized how sick he was. Hiroto hadn’t even bothered to go to class, opting instead to pamper him like he was dying. Isogai sneezed into a tissue. 

“I can’t wait until this is over,” Yuuma muttered to himself. Not only was he missing school, but he had called out of work. Maehara walked in carefully, trying not to spill the bowl of soup in one hand and the hot tea in the other. He set it on the coffee table. Yuuma slowly sat up, still wrapped in his blanket.

“There you go,” Maehara said triumphantly. 

“You don’t have to do this, you know.”

“That’s the fourth time you said that. When will you learn that I’m not leaving?” Maehara muttered, “I know that if I was in your place, you wouldn’t even think of leaving me.” Isogai smiled, well, he wasn’t wrong. He sipped at the microwaved miso soup, enjoying its warmth. 

“Do you remember when we first met?” Isogai asked. Maehara blinked.

“Yeah, I mean, it was the entrance ceremony, right?” 

“Yes, we ran right into each other.” Maehara laughed at the memory. “You told me to watch where I was walking.”

“You bowed and apologized...”

“And you walked right off talking to Okajima.” He chuckled.

“I guess I was a little rude back then.”

“Back then?” Yuuma teased.

“Hey, don’t forget who’s taking care of you right now.” 

“How could I ever forget?” Isogai took a sip of his tea. Green tea with honey, his favorite. Maehara settled next to him on the couch, 

“Are you enjoying your lunch, at the very least?”

“Of course I am,” Isogai assured, “Though I just wish I could breath through my nose again.”

“Isn’t that how it always goes with colds though?” Maehara laughed. “You wanna put in a movie or something? Maybe it’ll make the day go by faster?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Isogai agreed, “You know Koro-sensei is probably going to stop by soon to see where we were today?”

“Yeah, I’m sure he’ll understand though,” Maehara said as he stood up, “He’s probably already working on make-up worksheet for us.” He picked the first action movie he came across and pushed it into the DVD player. Isogai smiled at his back. Maehara sat down on the couch, the remote in his hand.

“I love you, Hiroto,” he said. 

Maehara froze. A blush suddenly dusted his cheeks. Yuuma held back a grin, he could never get enough of his boyfriend blushing. 

“I love you too, idiot.”


	2. Proposals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maehara accidentally proposes. (Future!Fic)

“I can’t believe you’re getting me to watch a romantic comedy,” Hiroto muttered.

“Come on now, I know you’ll enjoy it.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll do it for you.”

“It’s appreciated, Hiroto.”

The two settled into a comfortable silence. Yuuma rested his head on Hiroto’s shoulder. Maehara wrapped his arm around Isogai. The movie opening credits of the move began. Just as Yuuma predicted (and was he ever wrong about Hiroto?) he was enraptured. The two settled on each other as they watched the romantic mishaps of some American girl. 

“She’s kind dumb,” Hiroto commented. Yuuma laughed.

“That’s half the point,” he said, “It wouldn’t be nearly as fun.” 

They watched as the girl finally found the man of her dreams, despite her awkwardness. The movie ended with a scene of her in her wedding dress. Some catchy pop music played at the end as she and her new husband ran off together down the beach. 

“So what’d you think?”

“It wasn’t bad,” Hiroto admitted.

“You’re crying!” Yuuma exclaimed.

“No I’m not, shut up,” he said, aggressively wiping away the tears. Yuuma laughed at Hiroto’s futile attempts to repair his masculinity. Isogai adjusted himself and laid down, letting his head rest on Hiroto’s lap, his hands clasped on his stomach. Hiroto gently drew his fingers through Yuuma’s hair. 

“So I guess we can watch the next one?” Yuuma asked, looking up at Hiroto, who was looking away. “Hiroto?”

“Hey, Yuuma?”

“Yeah?” He could see that Hiroto was blushing.

“Do...do you want to end up like them?”

“What do you mean?” He turned redder. Yuuma resisted poking fun at him, he loved it whenever Hiroto started blushing.

“Like...married?”

“We’re basically married already, Hiroto. We’ve been together, what, 8 years? We’ve lived together for 4 of those.”

“But, you know, like, officially. Do you want to marry me, Yuuma?” Isogai sat up, staring at Hiroto in surprise.

“Are you proposing?” He asked, hesitantly.

“I-I guess, I mean I don’t have a ring or anything but...”

Yuuma couldn’t help it. He pulled Hiroto in for a passionate kiss. When they broke apart, he breathlessly said, “Of course. I’d love to marry you.”


	3. First Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maehara gets injured and Isogai takes care of him.

“Ow!” Maehara cried as a knife swipe actually cut his face. It had been a hard swipe, and even with their rubber knives, it was enough to draw blood.

“Ah! I’m sorry, Maehara-san!” Kayano cried.

“It’s alright,” he assured as he placed his hand up against the wound. There was a lot of blood. Maybe this would leave a scar and make him seem cooler?

“Are you okay?” Karasuma asked as he approached the duo.

“Yeah, it’s just a cut,” he assured, though the blood definitely did not make it seem like it was that minor.

“You can head to the locker room,” Karasuma said. He turned to the duo just down the field. “Isogai-san!” Yuuma stopped his spar with Hinano.

“Yes, sir?”

“Escort Maehara-san to the locker room to clean up his wound.”

“Yes, sir!” Isogai said. He jogged towards his best friend. He couldn’t hold in his laughter as soon as he saw Maehara’s face. “You actually got cut on a rubber knife?”

“Shut up,” he growled. This did nothing to stifle his laughter.

Isogai pushed open the door to the locker room. He gestured for Maehara to sit down and grabbed the first aid kit near the entrance. Maehara watched as he rifled through it and pulled out some antibacterial cotton pads, rubbing alcohol, and a band-aid. He let the cotton absorb some of the alcohol.

“This’ll sting a bit,” he warned before placing the cotton against the cut.

“Is this even necessary? Can’t I just take the band-aid and go?”

“You know how we use these knives. Who knows what’s on them? Last thing we want is for you to get an infection.” Maehara’s snide remark back was nipped in the bud when he realized that Isogai was really close. _Don’t blush, don’t you dare do it, Hiroto._ As if to spite his internal protesting, his cheeks were a light dusting of pink.

“I can hold that myself, you know.” Yuuma was momentarily surprised, but recovered quickly.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. It should be fine.” He pulled the cotton away and pulled a new, dry cotton pad out. “You’re still bleeding, so you’ll need to hold this up to the wound and apply pressure until it stops.” Maehara took the pad and pressed it against his face.

“You’re good at taking care of cuts.”

“It’s hard not to be when you’ve got two clumsy younger siblings,” he said with a laugh.

“How are they doing?” he asked.

“They’re adjusting well, and I get to see them every weekend. They’re doing well in school. They’re happy.”

“I’m glad,” he said sincerely. “And how are you doing?” Maehara asked. He observed Isogai carefully, daring him to lie. His friend faltered.

“It’s...It’s been stressful,” he admitted, “Between work, the assassination, exams, and taking care of mom, it’s been hard.” Maehara rested his one free hand on Isogai’s shoulder.

“You know you don’t have to bear it all alone, Yuuma. If you ever need anything, I’m always here to help.” Isogai smiled sincerely and Maehara’s stomach did a flip.

“I don’t want to be a bother.”

“You’re never a bother,” he responded instantly. _My stupid best friend and his stupid inability to ask for help._ Maehara lifted the antibacterial pad off of his face. “Has the bleeding stopped?”

“It looks like it,” Isogai said, “Bring your face closer.” Maehara scooted just a bit closer. He placed the plastic adhesive against the cut. Isogai’s hand lingered against his face. _Don’t blush, don’t you fucking do it, Hiroto_. Then, in a sweeping motion, Isogai brought him in for a kiss. Maehara’s mind went blank, except for one thought. _That was smooth as hell, I wish I'd thought of that._ Isogai broke it apart almost as soon as it had started. He was mortified.

“I-I’m sorry! I don’t know what came over me!” He exclaimed. His face was bright red. “Please forgive me!” Maehara’s face was hot and his eyes were wide. _He just kissed me..._ “I-I’ll just go clean up now!” He turned around to put away the first aid kit and escape the awkward environment. Maehara grabbed his wrist.

“Yuuma,” he said coolly. Isogai froze, and slowly turned around.

“Y-yeah?” Maehara grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into another kiss. The first aid kit tumbled out of his hands. He pulled away after a beat. He pushed his forehead against Isogai’s.

“We really are idiots, aren’t we?” Maehara said softly. Yuuma laughed.

“I would say so,” he said, the relief obvious in his voice. He hesitantly pulled away. Isogai leaned down to pick up the fallen first aid kit. “Let’s get going. Karasuma’s gonna start wondering why we’re taking so long.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

They were sure to steal one more kiss before returning to training.


	4. Accidentially Dating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isogai and Maehara wonder why everyone thinks they're dating and then they actually start dating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on a prompt by ironinkpen on tumblr. (http://ironinkpen.tumblr.com/post/95295394402/yes-you-could-be-sad-about-your-pairings-but)

“Are we dating?” Maehara asked. He sat at Isogai’s kitchen table, tapping his finger impatiently against the table. Isogai was in the kitchen, preparing a snack. His siblings were due home soon and he always insisted on making them snacks.

“If we are, it’s news to me,” Isogai laughed. He brought the plate over. Maehara picked up the small seaweed chip. “Can I ask what brought this on?”

“The other day, Nagisa asked if I wanted to go to the arcades with him. As an afterthought, he added that “my boyfriend could come too if he wasn’t too busy”, exact quote.” He bit into the chip. Isogai sat in the chair next to him. “I politely informed him that I didn’t have a boyfriend, and he got all worried and flustered and ask if I had broken up with you.”

“Interesting,” Isogai said.

“And _then_ , Kurahashi made a comment after PE one day that we make a cute couple.”

“How did you react?”

“I just gave her a confused look and walked away.” _I didn’t deny it._

“Kimura-san asked when our one-year anniversary was. I didn’t even know that we _had_ a one-year anniversary.” Isogai listened intently, regarding him with an expression he wasn’t quite sure he could read. “Even Soseki-sensei asked if we were a couple.”

“ _Sensei_ asked?”

“Yeah! And _finally,_ Kataoka-san asked me for dating advice the other day, and she asked whether you liked my ideas. I asked her what she meant and she said, “well, I mean you’ve taken Isogai-kun to these places, right?” _also_ an exact quote.”

“Mmhmm?”

“The worst part of all of it? I _had_ taken you to some of those places before.” Maehara buried his head in his hands. “And I thought the reason that no girls seemed interested in me was because I had lost my touch. Turns out they all thought I was in a relationship.” He leaned against his left hand, taking another chip.

“Does the whole class think that?” Isogai asked.

“ _Apparently._ ”

“I wonder where they got that from,” Isogai genuinely wondered. Silence permeated the room as they thought.

“Well, I guess we’re always partners in PE and we sit right next to each other….”

“We share our lunches.”

“We’ve gone to dinner together. Multiple times,” Maehara reminded.

“We spend basically all our time together. By the way, we should go back to the aquarium soon. That was a lot of fun.”

“Let’s make a day trip out of it.” He blinked when he realized what he had said. His face hit the table. “See!? It’s stuff like that!” Isogai laughed. “When did we start dating?”

 “I’m still not sure dating would be the right word for it, Hiroto. Dating implies romance.” Romantic? He and Isogai? Unidentified feelings fluttered in his stomach. Had they always been there?

“Are you implying that I’m not romantic?”

 “I wouldn’t call dragging me directly from work to the movies romantic.”

“Oh, by the way, that new James Cameron film is showing now. We should see that soon.” Isogai nodded. “Anyway, I can _totally_ be romantic when I want to!”

“I’m sure you can, Hiroto. _I’ve_ just never seen it.” Maehara lifted his head.

“Fine, next outing, I’ll bring you flowers n shit and buy your dinner and compliment your appearance. Then when we’re done, I’ll walk you home and-- ” Maehara cut himself off, his face getting redder as he thought about the conclusion to his thoughts. _And give you a goodnight kiss._ Isogai’s cheeks were equally as red. Apparently he got the gist of his thoughts as well.

“T-that wasn’t a challenge, Hiroto.” Maehara was too preoccupied with thoughts of kissing his best friend to listen. It was strange, he really didn’t mind the idea.

“I dunno, it might be fun,” he said. Isogai’s eyes got wide as Maehara closed the gap between them. He broke away after a beat, satisfied to see that his friend’s cool demeanor had (finally) broken. Isogai’s face was bright red.

“W-what was that?!” he exclaimed. Maehara leaned against his hand.

“Well, we’ve apparently been dating for months now. I’d say that kiss was long overdue.” Maehara grinned. “Romantic enough for you?” Isogai was silent for a second.

“I’m not sure, I think I might need another demonstration.” Maehara didn’t hesitate this time. Neither did Isogai. They didn’t hear the front door open.

“Ehhh?” They immediately broke apart. “Brother, why are you kissing Hiroto-kun?” a small voice asked. Maehara turned around, avoiding looking at Isogai’s younger siblings. Isogai was on his own with this one.

“When did you guys get home?” Isogai asked.

“Just now,” she said. She sat on Isogai’s lap, picking at the forgotten seaweed chips. His younger brother opted to sit next to Maehara. He aggressively avoided making eye contact with either of them. “So why were you kissing Hiroto-kun?” She looked between the two. “Do you two love each other? Isn’t that why people kiss?”

“We’re dating now,” Isogai admitted. Maehara smiled. They were really dating now, weren’t they?

“Eh? I thought you two were already together?” Maehara almost fell out of his chair.

“Not you guys too!”


	5. Apartment 504

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isogai realizes that living together is going to be hard on his heart. He's too in love with his stupid roommate for it not to hurt.

                Isogai had some reservations about living with Maehara. It wasn’t a matter of compatibility (the last seventeen years of their life were proof enough), nor was it an issue of knowing the other (there wasn’t much they didn’t know about each other). Rather, Isogai had a personal problem.

                He was hopelessly in love with his best friend.

                It was already hard enough, pretending like he didn’t want to take the place of his girlfriend of the week, sharing small kisses and affectionate gazes, stifling his feelings for the sake of their friendship. There was no world in which it was going to be good for his heart to live with his best friend. Still, here he was, signing the lease with Maehara.

                "Here are your keys,” the landlord said, handing over two sets of keys with a ridiculous cat charm attached, "If lost, it's a $50 for a replacement."

                “Thank you,” Isogai said kindly. He resisted admiring them. They were really doing this. Together, they followed the landlord up to their new apartment on the fifth level. The landlord opened the door to the bare-walled and bare-floored living space.

                “If you have any questions or need anything, you have the number for the front desk.”

                “Thank you, again,” Maehara said politely. The man nodded and left the two to begin the moving-in process. Maehara grinned and stepped into the brightly light living room. “Isn’t this cool, Yuuma? We’re officially living together!” Isogai’s steps guided him to the window near the porch.

                “I mean, we’ve basically lived together for years now.”

                “Yeah, but our own place!” Isogai smiled softly. It _was_ their own place. Their apartment wasn’t too far from university, and he could see the science building in the distance. He tore his eyes away from the sight and entered the empty kitchen. He had wanted an apartment with a good kitchen, since cooking had become an outlet for his stress, and he was very happy with the ones in this complex.

                Maehara grabbed his wrist and dragged him to their bedroom. They had specifically opted for a one-bed one-bath apartment to keep costs down. Although Isogai had a full-scholarship, he still worked to help pay tuition costs for his siblings. They both didn’t want to remain a burden to his parents.

                “Our bedroom,” Isogai muttered, “It’s a little smaller than I remember.”

                “It’s alright,” Maehara dismissed, “We won’t be spending much time in the bedroom anyway.”

                “We’ll still be able to fit two futons, I think,” Isogai said, more to himself than anyone else. He turned around to stare at their empty living room. “I guess we have to get furniture now, don’t we?”

\---

                “I’m done, this couch has bested me. It wins, it’s smarter than me,” Maehara conceded, dramatically collapsing to the ground.

                “You can’t give up so easily, Hiroto! You are better than this couch!” Isogai exclaimed.

                “Look at this, Yuuma! The instructions are gibberish! This couch is never getting built!”

                “It’s a puzzle!” Isogai defended, “We’ve done puzzles before, we can do it!” Maehara reluctantly sat back up. He glanced between Isogai and the half-built couch.

                “Fine, but only for you.”

                In the end, the couch did end up getting built (although it leaned oddly to one side), as did half of the furniture they had purchased that night. They went to bed together on the futons they had taken from their houses. As Isogai stared at Maehara’s exhausted face, he sleepily smiled. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad decision after all.

\---

                “You can’t keep eating like this!” Isogai exclaimed as he saw Maehara’s meal.

                “What? It keeps me from being hungry! That’s all food needs to do!” Maehara gestured pathetically towards his cup ramen.

                “You’ve been eating nothing but cup ramen and onigiri for the last two weeks!”

                “So?” Isogai stared at his best friend in disbelief.

                “So?!” he exclaimed, “Have you been eating like this for the last two years and I just never noticed? I’m a terrible friend!” Isogai snatched the sad bowl of ramen from under Maehara’s nose.

                “Hey!” Maehara protested, “I was eating that!”

                “Not anymore. _I’m_ cooking dinner tonight.” Maehara pouted as he watched his dinner get thrown into the trash. Isogai regarded him with a cool stare, daring him to protest again. He opened the fridge, pulling a number of vegetables and placing them on the cutting board. From the cupboards, he grabbed two pans from their meager supply of pots and pans. Eventually, Maehara stopped sulking and sighed.

                “How can I help?”

                “Hm?”

                “Well, you’re feeding me now, with _your_ supplies. The least I can do is help.” Isogai gave him an appreciative smile.

                “You can start by chopping the onion and peeling the carrots,” Isogai instructed. He pulled a fish from the fridge, prepping it for carving.

                “Right,” Maehara affirmed as he grabbed the onion and carrots, a somewhat dull knife they had nicked from their parents, and a cutting board. He stared at the offending onion. “Er, how exactly do you chop an onion?” Isogai stopped and regarded him with a look of disbelief. _I’m not that pathetic!_ Maehara mentally protested. He really was.

                “Let me teach you,” Isogai said. He placed his hands over Maehara’s. _He’s really close!_ He adjusted how Maehara held the knife and onion. “First you cut off the top.” He guided Maehara’s knife down for the chop. “Then you turn it on its side and chop down the middle.”

                “R-right,” Maehara stuttered. Was he blushing?! He hadn’t blushed in _years._

                “After that, you chop horizontally, but don’t go through the whole way. It’ll make it easier when you chop vertically.” Isogai’s hands were warm. “Finally, you chop vertically down the onion. If you want finer onions, you just make the chops smaller. For our recipe, it doesn’t matter.” Isogai let go. “Does that make sense?”

                “Yeah,” Maehara said, his throat feeling a little dry.

                “Good, now you just need to do the other half. I trust you know how to peel a carrot?”

                “Yeah,” he repeated. Isogai shot him a smile before returning to the fish. Maehara stared down at the perfectly chopped onion on the cutting board. _What the hell was that?!_

\---

                Isogai enjoyed their mornings together. Maehara didn’t have the same opinion, but that was probably because he didn’t enjoy mornings in general. They weren’t hectic by any means, but Isogai thought their habits said a lot about them.

                By the first alarm, Isogai was up. He’d fight away the last of his grogginess and get dressed. Maehara would usually roll over in his futon and groan something about the cruelty of the world and mornings. Isogai would wash his face, brush his hair, and put in his contacts.

                Then came the second alarm.

                Isogai was a little less sympathetic. Maehara would flip the covers off of himself, and grumble about physically getting up. Isogai would admire his messy hair, the way his shirt rode up on his stomach, and his bleary-eyed mutterings. He would tear his eyes away, knowing he still had to eat.

                It would be in the middle of preparing breakfast that the third alarm would go off and Maehara would finally realize that he had to get up or he was going to be late. He would rush into the kitchen, mutter a “Goo’ morning” and down the rest of the pot of coffee. Isogai would give him a kind smile and chuckle at his state of disarray.

                Isogai would be out of the door at precisely 8:30 and Maehara would catch up to him not too long after. Any conversations they had would be short and spoken through the haze of sleepiness. 

                Living together was really going to be hard on his heart

\---

                Isogai came back from a busy day of work. He saw Maehara draped over the couch, eating some chips.

                “Have you even moved since this morning?” he asked.

                “Yes!” Maehara said, sitting up, “I ate breakfast, got groceries, _and_ did some homework. Overall, it’s been a productive day.”

                “You got groceries? Did you get eggs?”

                “Yeah, I got your text right before I left.”

                “Thank you.” Isogai dropped his bag by the door and hung his coat on their coat rack. He headed to the kitchen to reheat some leftovers.

                “Anything exciting at work today?”

                “Not much,” Isogai said from the kitchen, “A pretty typical night. Though I did serve a couple with a remarkably low tolerance for sake. They were pretty hilarious.” The microwave beeped. Isogai dumped the contents of the container into a bowl. “What about your day? Anything exciting happen at the grocery store?”

                “I fought an old woman over udon noodles.”

                “Did you really?”

                “Nah, but I thought about it, she was kind of annoying.” Isogai smiled into his dinner.

                “I’m sure she was.” They fell into a comfortable silence. Maehara went back to watching his show while Isogai started to scroll through his phone. Since Isogai was on the restaurant floor for most of his shift, he couldn’t check his phone and he had a number of messages to reply to. Isogai heard the television pause again. He looked up, waiting for Maehara to say something. His roommate was quiet for a moment.

                “I think I might stop dating around,” Maehara said suddenly. Isogai blinked. That was a surprising development, to say the least.

                “That’s sudden, may I ask why?” Maehara sat up.

                “I dunno, I’m just kind of getting sick of it, I guess? I feel like I’ve been used as a disposable boyfriend by a lot of women. It’s starting to get to me, y’know? I’m starting to wonder if _I’m_ really worthy for a relationship.” Isogai dropped his spoon, making a loud clank. He saw Maehara jump a little.  

                “Don’t you _dare_ think that, Hiroto,” Isogai said firmly, “You’re as relationship-worthy as any other guy out there. If a girl can’t see how kind, funny, and incredible you are, then you don’t deserve her.” Maehara’s eyes were wide. Isogai was far too good to him. He could never repay his kind words.

                “Thank you, Yuuma, I needed that,” he said quietly.

                “You shouldn’t let anything like that get you down,” Isogai continued softly, “I know you date around just for fun, so you shouldn’t take it seriously.”

                “I really do think I’m going to stop,” Maehara admitted. He laughed. “I’m getting too old for it.”

                “It’s almost like you’re maturing.”

                “Right? Who would’ve thought?”

\---

                Isogai had a long day. In the morning, he had to go to school for classes. After, he had to go to work for seven hours. And _after that_ he had to go _back_ to school to work on a group project. All in all, it had been about fifteen hours since he had stepped foot in his home. And he was _exhausted._ He pushed open the door.

                “Welcome back, Yuuma,” Maehara greeted. He sat on their lopsided couch, drinking a beer. Isogai smiled despite his exhaustion.

                “Hi, Hiroto.”

                “Good timing, I just made some hot water if you want some tea or something. I was about to put in a movie.”

                “I don’t know if I could make it through a movie,” Isogai admitted, “I’m ready to fall asleep standing up.”

                “Work ride you that hard?”

                “That and I’m having trouble keeping everyone in my Finance group project focused.” Maehara stood up, and gestured towards the couch.

                “I’ll get you some tea. Green?” As if Maehara had to ask, he’s known what tea was Isogai’s favorite since childhood.

                “Yes, please.” Isogai dropped his bag at the entryway and collapsed on the couch. He settled into the plush cushions, not quite sure he could move again even if he wanted to. He stared at the screen of the old, small, beaten-up television they had gotten second-hand through a friend. Maehara was getting ready to watch some American action thriller and had paused on the opening screen. A moment later, Maehara came in with a steaming hot mug of green tea. “Thank you.”

                “No problem, dude.” Isogai set the mug on the table, giving it a couple of minutes to steep.

                “How was your day, Hiroto?”

                “It was alright, nothing special. Just ignoring the huge final project I have for my engineering class.”

                “You’re going to regret that later,” Isogai pointed out.

                “I’m sure I will,” Maehara agreed. He grinned, “But I’ll deal with that as it comes.”

                “Naturally,” Isogai said with a small laugh. He knew his friend’s bad habits well enough by now. Maehara hit the play button on his remote. Isogai took a sip of his tea. He attempted to watch the film, but this was some kind of sequel and he hadn’t seen the original. By the time he finished his tea, he was half-asleep. By the end of the movie, he was asleep on Maehara’s shoulder.

                Maehara Hiroto, for all of his dating experience, had no idea what to do.

                It didn’t feel right waking him up, nor did it feel right moving him. It was kind of weird, he actually didn’t mind Isogai’s weight on his shoulder. He placed his left hand over Isogai’s right. This wouldn’t be the most comfortable position to sleep, but he could manage. His head rested against Isogai’s. Yeah, he could manage this.

                When he woke the next morning, his roommate was missing and a blanket was placed over him. Wearily, he sat up. There was a note on the table.

                **I’m sorry for falling asleep on you last night! I made you breakfast as an apology. I got called into work, see you tonight! – Isogai Yuuma**

                Maehara gently smiled at the note, his chest warm. He sat back on the couch, not willing to leave its warmth behind just yet. His friend was too kind and considerate for him. Isogai cooked for him (although Maehara helped when he could), he did things like this, and he always seemed to know just the right things to say.

                Then it hit him like a freight train.

                _Oh God. I’ve got a crush on my best friend._


	6. Apartment 504 (2/3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of the Apartment 504 drabble on Chapter 5. Maehara faithfully ignores his feelings and Isogai pretends like nothing's changed in their apartment.

Maehara had literally no idea what to do. For the longest time, he sat on the couch, thinking over his realization. _I have a crush on my best friend. **I** have a **crush** on my **best friend.** _ His immediate reaction was to deny his feelings, dismiss them as incorrect. But his conviction was too strong. He had a goddamn crush on his best friend.  He threw his blanket over his face and buried himself into the couch.

This was weird. Now what the hell was he going to do about it?

Normally, if he had a crush on a girl, he’d just straight up ask her out. If she said no, then he’d just move on to the next girl. But this was a totally different story. This was his _best friend_. Not only that, but his _roommate_. If he was rejected, he’d still have to face him every single day with that awkward encounter hanging above their heads for the rest of their time together. Maehara rolled over. Maybe if he smothered himself, he’d forget everything.

His phone buzzed, finally prompted him to unbury himself from the couch.

**Hey Hiroto, I’m stopping by that ramen place we like for lunch. Want anything? Your usual?**

Maehara flipped his phone over. The worst part was that even if he didn’t reply, Isogai _would_ still get his usual and tell him not to worry about it. It’d keep in the fridge until he wanted to eat. His stupid, considerate roommate _that he totally had a hopeless crush on._ He groaned. This whole rooming together was supposed to simplify things. Isogai would help keep him on track and he’d help Isogai forget about school every once in a while. It was going to be great. Now it was all complicated with feelings and emotions and shit.

Why him?

He picked up his phone and quickly replied to Isogai’s text, telling him he’d be alright. He wouldn’t mention it for now. He’d just have to wait until the right time came around. Whenever the hell that might be.

\---

Maehara could hear Isogai enter the apartment after work. It must be an unusual sight for his friend. He was normally lying in bed or doing work on the couch and now he was in neither of those places. He was in the _kitchen_ of all places.

 “I’m home,” he heard Isogai call. He could almost hear the question in Isogai’s head.

 “Hi, Yuuma,” Maehara greeted, “I decided that since you cook all of the time, that _I_ should do it every once in a while.” _I kind of have a **goddamn** crush on and maybe if I show you some affection you'd feel the same way. _ _Why does his curious face look so cute? Why the hell is he so cute in general?_ Maehara ended his train of thought there.

 “What’re you making?”

 “Some kind of casserole. Hold up, I have the recipe on my computer.” Maehara unlocked his screen. Isogai watched him over his shoulder. Maehara distinctly ignored how close his roommate was to him.

 “A shrimp casserole. It looks good.”

 “Yeah, I was trying to time it to be done when you got home, but I got, ah, kind of stuck and so it’ll be another twenty minutes.”

 “I’m more than happy to wait.” Isogai smiled. “I can’t wait to try it.” Maehara shot him a big smile. When the casserole finally came out of the oven, it wasn’t even close to the same level as Isogai’s cooking. Still, they ate it with smiles on their faces. It was definitely the thought that counted.

\---

Maehara came home early one night to see Isogai curled up on the couch. He had not yet started dinner (which was fine by him, he could actually help tonight) and he was wrapped in a blanket.

 “I’m home,” he called, a little concerned that Isogai hadn’t greeted him when he opened the door. Isogai’s head bolted up, surprised by the voice.

 “Oh hey, Hiroto,” he said weakly. Now Maehara was _really_ concerned.

 “Are you alright, Yuuma?”

 “I- yeah, kinda.” His eyes narrowed. He was doing that thing again. He dropped his bag at the entryway and sat on the couch next to his friend. He placed his hand on Isogai’s shoulder, letting him know that he was there.

 “Do you wanna talk about it?” Maehara felt Isogai relax a little. His friend let out a long, deep sigh.

 “I’m just stressed. That’s all it is. Between work and school and everything, it’s been tough.” Maehara gave him a reassuring squeeze, resisting the urge to run his fingers through Isogai’s hair. “My grades have been slipping.” Maehara blinked, now that was surprising. “I got a test back today, and there are so many questions that I got wrong that I shouldn’t have. I just didn’t have time to study.” Isogai handed him a slightly crumpled paper. At the top was a boldly written 60. “It’s not even like this is the busiest I’ve ever been, so I don’t understand why it’s going wrong now.”

 “Yuuma, you’re basically working full-time, you have a full load of courses, and you still find time to play with the Tennis team. No one’s not going to say you aren’t busy.” He tossed the exam on the ground. “As for that crap, this is the same professor you’ve been having trouble with all semester. I bet the asshole rigged the test or something. You’re incredibly smart and way better at time management than anyone else I know. You shouldn’t let something like this get you down.” He embraced Isogai and he felt his friend’s hands hesitantly wrap around him. His friend buried his head into his chest and Maehara stroked his back.

 “Thank you, Hiroto,” he said.

 “You shouldn’t ever forget how incredible you are. Even when stuff like this comes up.” He loosened the embrace just enough so that Isogai could look up at him. “Why don’t we order out tonight? How does Thai sound? My treat.”

 “That sounds great.” Isogai pulled away so he could grab a take-out menu, although Maehara’s fingers still lingered on his arm. As his roommate looked over the menu, Maehara thought, _I really am far gone, aren’t I?_

\---

The weather was getting cold. Isogai always hated this time of year. He wasn’t sure if it was due to genetics, his clothes, or the cruelty of God, but he had absolutely zero cold tolerance. The second it dropped below freezing (or was even remotely near freezing), _he_ was freezing. He layered up as much as he could, but the cold always seemed to seep through the seams.

The worst part about living off-campus was definitely the walk. Back when he lived on campus, he could usually keep the cold at bay by bolting from building to building. But now? He had a full four blocks of total coldness to deal with before he could walk into their nice warm apartment complex.

Still, despite the absurdly long walk in the cold, he couldn’t say he regretted moving in with Maehara. He looked forward to opening the door to their apartment every evening and waking up every morning. Their time together seemed to be doing Maehara well as well. He had begun eating better (at Isogai’s careful direction), he was doing his homework on time (mostly), and he had become even more thoughtful.

He thought back to the dinner that Maehara had cooked a few nights ago. It wasn’t great (he put on way too much salt), but the fact he had put so much effort in warmed Isogai’s heart. The way he spoke to him on the night of his minor breakdown… Isogai looked up at the sky. He knew living with Maehara would be hard for his heart, but he never thought it’d be _this_ hard.

He punched in the code to their apartment. He heard the door click and he pulled it open. He greeted the man at the front desk as he headed up the elevator. Moments later he was unlocking their door and staring in wonder at the sight before him.

 “Hey, Yuuma! Guess what my mom donated!”

 “Is that…?”

 “Yep! It’s a kotatsu! It’s not super great, but it gets the job done.” Isogai dropped his bag and immediately crawled under the warm blankets. He felt better almost instantly. His legs overlapped Maehara’s (who had claimed his space fair and square way before Isogai ever got in), but he didn’t care.

 “Your mom is the best,” Isogai said. He wondered if it would be worth it to move his hands out from under the table to grab a pillow from the couch. On one hand, he could just fall asleep there. On the other, he would have to bring his arms out from the cold.

 “Isn’t she though?” Maehara said with a grin.

 “Do you think I could just stay here all winter?”

 “I dunno, it might be tough. You can definitely try.” Isogai risked the cold to pull a pillow from the couch. As soon as it was underneath him, he brought himself back to the warmth.

 “You’re looking pretty pathetic right now, Yuuma,” Maehara teased.

 “If I’m pathetic, so be it.” He could already feel the sleepiness coming on. He shifted his position.

He didn’t notice the way their legs intertwined or the affectionate look on Maehara’s face. But, moments before he succumbed to sleep, he heard Maehara mutter, “Just what am I going to do with you?”

\---

Isogai opened the door to their apartment. Megu was right behind him, peering over his shoulder, trying to get a good look at their home.

 “I’m home!” he called.

 “Hey Yuuma!” Maehara responded from their bedroom, “Do you remember that engineering project you said I’d regret putting off?”

 “Yeah?”

 “I’m regretting putting it off.” Isogai laughed. He heard shuffling from their bedroom, and Maehara was at the door. “Oh! Hey Megu-san, didn’t realize you were there.”

 “It’s alright,” she dismissed, “How’ve you been, Maehara-kun?”

 “I’ve been good. School’s been killer. What about you?”

 “About the same,” she responded, “I’ve been overloaded by schoolwork.” Maehara laughed.

 “Isn’t that always the case? Anyway, Yuuma. I’m heading to campus and I’ll probably be back late. Don’t wait up for me.”

 “Will do! I’ll leave some leftovers in the fridge for you.” Maehara placed his hand on Isogai’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze before taking his keys and heading out, his backpack full and near bursting.

 “Thanks, Yuuma! See you tonight…hopefully.” He closed the door with a dramatic groan and Isogai laughed.

 “Megu-san, do you want anything to eat or drink? We have some snacks and some orange juice.”

 “I’m alright.” She crossed her arms and gave him a penetrating stare. “So when did you two start dating?” Isogai froze. He was _not_ expecting that question. _Dating?_ Why did she think they were _dating?_

 “What are you talking about, Megu? We’re not dating,” he said.

 “ _Please_ , you can’t pull this one over me. You cook for each other, the way he touched you before he left, Maehara’s concern over you worrying over him, and the way you look at each other. You two are totally dating!”

 “We are not!” Isogai protested, his face growing red. Was their relationship really that close? He hadn’t noticed.

 “How could you keep this from us?” she asked. She pulled out her phone.

 “We’re really not dating!”

 “Mhmm?”

 “Wait, who are you texting?!” Isogai cried.

 “Rio,” she said curtly.

 “What?! Why?! Give me that!” He launched himself at her, trying to wrestle the phone out of her hands.

 “Too late! Already sent!” Isogai gave up and laid down on their rug. He covered his face with his hands. This was going to be a disaster, he knew it. Why _Rio?_ She was the worst gossip of them all!

 “Since when did you become such a gossip? What happened to the nice, serious class representative Megu I knew?” She stood over him.

 “I wouldn’t call being interested in the love life of a close friend being gossipy.”

 “What about sending that information out to Rio?” Megu paused.

 “Okay, that was pretty gossipy,” she conceded, “So tell me all about it! When did you guys start dating? Was it before you moved in?” Isogai laughed, with only a tinge of bitterness.

 “We’re really not dating,” he said. He sat up and leaned against the couch.

 “Wait, really?” She sat down next to him on the floor, “I’m a little confused.”

 “We’re really not dating,” he said, for what felt like the millionth time. It hurt a little every time. If he could date Maehara, he would do it in a second. But life was a little more complicated than that. Megu’s eyes widened as it clicked.

 “You’re not? Bu- oh my God. You love him, don’t you?” Isogai stared out the window.

 “Yes,” Isogai admitted, “For a long time now.” Megu’s eyes shot from Isogai to the door, where Maehara had been just a few minutes ago.

 “And you moved in with him, knowing that? Why haven’t you told him, Yuuma-kun?”

 “I don’t want to risk losing our friendship. That’s more precious to me than anything.”

 “Or it could turn into something more. Next time he’s here, look, and I mean _really_ look at the way he looks at you. Whatever affection you have towards him, it’s totally mutual.” Isogai smiled. As if.

 “I’m not so sure of that, Megu.”

 “You are so dense!” she exclaimed. She buried her head in her hands. Exasperated, she looked at him. “How long have you been friends?”

 “About 17 years,” Isogai responded.

 “Do you really think that a full _17_ years of friendship would be ruined just because you admitted you loved him? Do you really think Maehara-kun is that cruel? I’m 100% certain he values your friendship just as much as you value his.” Isogai’s heart warmed, she made a good point. Would Maehara deem their friendship ruined just because he felt more than friendship for him? Probably not.

 “I’m still worried,” he admitted.

 “And that just goes hand in hand with falling in love,” she said wisely, “You’re a smart guy, Yuuma. But you sure are stupid about some things.” Isogai smiled.

 “I guess you’re right.”

 “Besides, anyone with two eyes can see that he’s just as into you as you are into him.”

\---

Isogai entered the waking world groggily. It was one of his few days off and he decided to celebrate with a nap on their lopsided couch. He pulled his thin blanket back up to his chest and rolled over. Their lopsided couch protested, but he was still hoping for another few minutes of extra sleep. He could hear Maehara sweeping their floors, trying to keep quiet so that he didn’t disturb Isogai too much.

He could hear the rhythmic sweeping come closer to the couch, almost lulling him back to sleep. Then it stopped. Isogai vaguely wondered what had distracted him, but that didn’t matter. He could hear Maehara’s steps getting closer, stopping right in front of him. His clothes rustled as his roommate kneeled down in front of him. Maehara didn’t do anything for a minute, and Isogai was tempted to ask what he was doing.

He froze as he felt Maehara’s hands sweep his hair to the side. He felt soft pressure on his cheek and then his forehead. He was really close! He could feel Maehara's stubble against his skin. Isogai hoped that his face wasn’t turning red. Maehara rested his hand on his arm for a moment before stepping away. Isogai heard him open their supply closet and put away the broom before going back into their room.

He bolted up. _Did he just?_ His hand flew to his forehead, which felt warm from where Maehara’s _lips_ had touched it. _Holy shit, he kissed me._ He collapsed back on the couch, his mind running wild and his heart pounding. He thought back to the conversation he and Megu had.

_“Besides, anyone with two eyes can see that he’s just as into you as you are into him.”_

Except, apparently, themselves.

\---

 “What are we?” Isogai asked quietly at dinner one night. He had been wavering on how to approach this with Maehara. His roommate clearly had some feelings towards him, and he _definitely_ had feelings towards Maehara, but just confessing didn’t seem appropriate. If for some reason Maehara didn’t return his feelings, then he could at least tell him to back off on some of the affectionate stuff. It wasn't doing him well.

 “I dunno what you mean,” he admitted, “Roommates? Best friends?”

 “I know you’re not stupid, Hiroto,” Isogai said, “I know that you’ve noticed what’s been going on between us for the last month.”

 “I-I dunno what we are,” Maehara said weakly. He looked nervous, Isogai realized. He was avoiding eye contact and his dinner was forgotten on the plate.  

 “My heart can’t take this, Hiroto,” Isogai said softly. Maehara’s eyes widened and they bolted back to him. His fingers twitched. He was finally going to say it, what he had been hiding for the last few years. “I-I…” His throat felt dry. “I’m in love with you, Hiroto. I have been for a long time.” He looked away, not sure he wanted to see the reaction.

He heard Maehara laugh. _How dare he?!_ This was a big moment for him! He felt Maehara’s hand touch his face, and his momentary fury was replaced by surprise as Maehara met him for a chaste, but passionate kiss.

 “To think,” he said as he pulled away, “I thought I was the crazy one for falling for my best friend.” Isogai let out an elated laugh.

 “We’re both crazy,” he said. They intertwined their fingers together. Isogai reached over the table and stole another kiss from him. He couldn’t believe it! “How long have you known?”

 “Only a few months.” This whole time, they’d been circling each other. Isogai could hit himself They were idiots, weren’t they? “What about you?”

 “ _Years_ ,” Isogai confessed, “I realized it way back in high school.” Maehara blinked, surprised. He was probably thinking back to what he’d been doing for the last few years.

 “Years? Oh my god, Yuuma, why would you do that to yourself? Why didn’t you tell me?”

 “I didn’t want to ruin what we had, Hiroto. I thought it might make things weird or make you pull away from me, and I didn’t want that.” He could feel tears coming to his eyes. He couldn’t even begin to describe how happy he was. Maehara let go of his hand, moving around the table to embrace him.

 “Well you don’t have to worry about that anymore. I’ll be here for you." 


	7. Apartment 504 (3/3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maehara and Isogai begin to explore their relationship but also Megu and Rio bother them.

Maehara and Isogai stood in their bedroom, contemplating a _very_ serious issue. Maehara leaned against the wall, while Isogai sat on the floor.

 “So should we push our futon together?” Maehara asked. They’d been dancing around the issue, but it was about time they actually confronted it.

 “I dunno,” Isogai said honestly, “We’ve really only been dating for a week, doesn’t it seem a little too fast to you?”

 “Yuuma, we live together already. Conventional rules about slowness and fastness are kind of out the door. Besides, we’ve shared beds since we were kids, what makes it different?”

 “Our relationship has changed, Hiroto,” Isogai reminded.

 “It’s just sleeping, Yuuma,” he reminded.

 “I know, it’s just, I don’t know if I’m there yet.”

 “I understand,” Maehara said softly, “When you do get there, just let me know.” Isogai smiled.

 “Thank you, Hiroto.”

\---

They were going on their first, real, official date.

It was a little surreal for Isogai. He never thought they’d actually enter a relationship, let alone go on an actual, intentional, romantic date. It had been Maehara to suggest it, since they had kind of just skipped over the normal steps of typical relationship. They already knew each other, their habits, their likes and dislikes. Hell, they’d skipped straight to the fall in love and move in together step. But for some of the romantic things? They were right back at square one.

Isogai pulled a sweater over his button-up, adjusting it so that it sat right on his body. The bathroom door opened and Maehara came out, brushing his hair.

“Remind me why I keep my hair long?”

“It looks good on you,” he said. Isogai leaned against their wall. “And you like to flip your hair when no one is looking.” Maehara smiled.

“True.” He pulled a shirt from his closet, buttoning it up and tucking it into his pants. He quickly adjusted his clothes in front of the mirror. “How do I look?”

“Just fine,” Isogai responded. Maehara grinned and held his hand out.

“Well then, let’s go.” He took it, enjoying the warmth that Maehara always seemed to radiate. They grabbed their coats and left.

“So where are we going tonight?” Isogai asked curiously. Maehara had been quiet about their plans tonight, telling him that it was a secret. He was apparently not about to give it up yet.

“You’ll see, Yuuma! I can tell you that we’re going to dinner.”

“Oh? I never would’ve guessed with the way you insisted I don’t eat beforehand.” Maehara chuckled and took Isogai’s hand. They walked down the street in comfortable silence. Isogai made a game out of trying to guess where they were headed. They’d made a left on the street a couple of blocks up that Isogai hadn’t bothered to learn the name of, a right a few more blocks down that. Maehara finally stopped in front of a sushi restaurant, Isogai wasn’t familiar with it, but he’d heard about it. It was a new place that had only opened last month, but was getting some pretty good reviews. Maehara pushed the door open, allowing Isogai to get through.

“We have a reservation for two tonight. It should be under Maehara Hiroto,” he said as he came up behind Isogai.

“I see you right here, sir,” the woman said, “If you’ll follow me.” She grabbed two menus and led them to the dining area. Isogai was reminded of the many dinners they shared together. They’d done this a hundred times before. Even as they placed their order and received their food, there was a sense of comfort in the familiarity.

But it _was_ a little different. They were looking at each other more, their conversation was lighter. Their fingertips would brush against the other’s hands, the little touches. It was a little strange, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

When they finally left the restaurant a little under an hour later, they were both satisfied and a little buzzed from the sake they had decided to share. Maehara snaked his arm around Isogai’s waist. Isogai’s cheeks were a little pink.

“That was a good choice, Hiroto,” Isogai commented, not quite minding the PDA as much as he normally would have.

“I agree. I loved the salmon rolls.” Maehara leaned in and gave him a messy kiss. When they broke, Isogai finally asked.

“So what’s next on our date?”

“Well, now that we’re well fed, it’s time to head over to the theater to watch a play.”

“A play?” Isogai repeated, “I’m surprised, I wouldn’t have guessed that.” Maehara gave him another kiss.

“I’m full of surprises.”

Their seats were in the middle, but relatively far back. Not that it even mattered. Isogai learned that the play was mostly an excuse for Maehara to hold him for two hours (he didn’t mind much). The play itself was subpar, but their exchanged whispers, quiet laughs, and occasional kisses made it that much better.

When they finally left the theater, they were a little more sober but still in a good mood. Isogai started in the direction of their apartments, but Maehara’s grip on his wrist stopped him.

“We’ve got one more stop.” Isogai blinked.

“We do?”

“Yeah, come with me.” They locked hands as they walked in the direction of campus.

“Where are we going now?”

“This time I’m keeping it a secret until we get there.” Interesting. He briefly speculated on what it could be before dropping it. He trusted Maehara and was sure that wherever they were going to would be fine. They talked about the play as they walked down the streets, although Isogai kept a careful eye on where they were going so he could get some hints. He finally realized where they were heading.

“The arts building?” Maehara stopped right before they were to go in.

“A friend of mine did an installation.” He pushed open the door. “I thought it was pretty cool and I thought you’d like it too.” Maehara led him to a side door. “Close your eyes.” Isogai did as he was directed. He heard the door creak open and Maehara gently led him into the room. He let himself be guided into a seat in what he thought had to be the middle of the room. He heard Maehara flip a couple of switches. He sat on the bench next to Isogai. “Open your eyes.” Isogai gasped. It was a lights installation. Lights displayed patterns that his eye could barely follow. When he looked up, he could see the lights reflecting the night sky and the brightly shined tiles underneath them created a reflection.

“It’s incredible.” Maehara took his hand.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Was it Jun-san that make it?”

“Yes.”

“Tell him that I think it’s amazing.” Isogai tore his eyes away from the lights to look at Maehara.

“Yuuma, you know I’m not great with the sappy stuff. But, I’m glad we did this. I’m glad we’re dating now. A few weeks ago, when I said I’d stop dating around, I really was starting to doubt myself. I honestly was thinking that maybe there was something wrong with me. But I’m happy that you were there to prove me wrong. You’re really incredible.” Isogai smiled softly. He rested his forehead against Maehara’s.

“And I’m glad we did this as well. I’m always here for you, Hiroto. And by the way, you’re a great date planner.”

“Years of experience!” He said brightly. They kissed one last time in the flashing lights.

\---

Isogai had been dreading this call. But he trusted his mother more than anything, and keeping this secret from her would weigh on him. Maehara was an important part of his life, and now that their relationship had changed, she deserved to know.

 “Hi Mom!” He greeted cheerfully as she picked up.

 “Yuuma-kun! It’s so good to hear from you.” He smiled.

 “Mom, it’s only been a week.”

 “I’m your mother, Yuuma-kun, I always want to hear from you.”

 “I understand. How are Rei and Hana?”

 “They’re doing well. Hana has been studying for University entrance exams, even though they’re still far away. She wants to get into Tokyo University.”

 “Oh, that’ll be tough.”

 “I know, but she can do it! Rei’s been doing well in school, and he’s really become more confident after joining the baseball team. The team has been doing him wonders.”

 “I’m glad to hear it,” Isogai said genuinely. His younger brother had always looked up to him, and he had somewhat of an inferiority complex because he couldn’t quite emulate his big brother. He couldn’t get the same grades, he wasn’t as athletic and he was a little socially awkward. Isogai had also wished he could give his brother more guidance, but it always just pushed him away more.

 “So what about you, Yuuma? How are classes going?” Isogai’s throat went dry. It was coming up, he’d have to tell her.

 “They’re going well. After this, I’m going to start on an essay due next week and start prepping for a presentation after.”

 “That sounds good. How’s living with Hiroto-kun?” This was it.

 “It’s been good. Actually, I wanted to talk with you about that.”

 “Is everything alright?”

 “Yes, it’s been great, actually. Uh, well. Hiroto and I started dating.” The phone felt heavy in his hands. He wasn’t quite sure what her reaction was going to be. He wasn’t sure what the silence on the other end of the line meant, but hopefully it was good?

 “You’re dating?” she repeated.

 “Yeah, we’re dating.”

 “As in just now?”

 “Well, we started about two weeks ago.”

 “ _Just_ two weeks ago?” Where was this going?

 “Uh, yeah?”

 “So…you weren’t dating before? I’m a little confused. Haruka and I thought that’s why you wanted to move in together?” This was not the direction he thought this conversation would go in. “Don’t get me wrong, Yuuma-kun, I’m very happy for you. But it really took you guys this long to start dating? You two have clearly been in love with each other for years now.” Did everyone notice except for them?!

 “I, uh, yeah, I guess,” he said. He glanced over at Maehara, who was only overhearing bits and pieces.

 “I’ll call you back later, Yuuma-kun. I’m just going to call Haruka and let her know this. Talk to you soon!” He heard a click and the call ended.

 “So how’d it go?” Maehara asked.

 “Uh, so our parents apparently thought we were already dating. They thought that’s why we moved in together.” Maehara laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek.

 “So we were literally the last people to realize we should date, is what I’m realizing.”

 “Basically.”

\---

Isogai realized he had made a mistake the second he sent the text. Seeing as how he had told Megu his feelings for Maehara before anyone else, he thought it was fair that she find out they were dating officially now. Moments after he had hit send, he already had a reply.

**OMG that’s great! I’m so happy for you.**

Then another.

**Are you home tonight? We’d love to stop by!**

Isogai wondered what she meant by “we.” Reluctantly, he responded that he would be home.

**Cool, Rio and I will be there at seven!**

He groaned. When the hell did those two become friends? Megu could hardly stand her in high school and now they were becoming an unstoppable duo! It was the worst. Isogai sent Maehara a warning text. Since he had a late class, he would come back in the middle of things, and it was only fair that he was informed. Isogai sat up. Well, he might as well start planning dinner now.

When seven o’clock came around, sure enough, they were right at his door.

 “Evening Megu-san, Rio-san,” he greeted politely. He didn’t like the gleam they had in their eyes.

 “Hi, Isogai-kun,” Rio greeted.

 “Nice to see you again, Yuuma-kun.” Rio entered the apartment, looking everything up and down.

 “Your place is nice,” she complimented, “It’s bigger than I expected.”

 “We’re pretty happy with it,” Isogai said, “There’s not anything we’d change about it. Maybe better furniture, but that’s our fault more than anything.”

 “I see,” Rio said, “I did notice that your couch was a little lopsided.”

 “Ah, yeah, Hiroto and I had trouble putting it together. Are you two hungry? I made some dinner.”

 “You didn’t have to, Yuuma-kun,” Megu assured.

 “You’re my guests, of course I did.” He pulled down three plates and laid them out on their small dining room table. He placed the warm pot in the middle. “It’s not a lot, just some fried rice, but it should be enough.” He gestured for them to take a seat. Rio dug right in.

 “It’s good!” she exclaimed, “I wouldn’t expect any less from you, Isogai-kun.” She twirled her chopsticks and gave him a mischievous grin. “So, how’s life with Maehara-kun?” Ah, she was getting straight to the point.

 “Do you want me to pretend like I don’t know that you know that we’re dating or…?”

 “Oh, well, if you’re offering. Tell us everything!” Isogai sighed.

 “Why is this even of any interest to you?”

 “There are so many layers of interest to this!” Megu said.

 “Childhood friends into lovers…” Rio started.

 “The long term one-sided romance…”

 “The straight-laced busybody falling for the womanizer with a lot of uncertainty in his life.”

 “And of course, a good friend of ours _finally_ finding someone to love,” Megu concluded. Isogai was weirdly touched.

 “It’s like something out of a romance drama!” Rio added. Isogai was a little less touched.

 “I’m starting to suspect that it’s a little less Megu-san’s point, and more Rio-san’s,” Isogai said dryly.

 “Nonsense! We care about you,” Rio assured, though the look in her eye wasn’t any assurance. Isogai stood up to start boiling some water for tea. He sighed.

 “So what do you want to know?” He could see their eyes light up. He was suddenly assaulted by questions from both sides. When did you realize you fell for him? When did you confess? How did you confess? Have you gone on any dates yet? Isogai sighed and looked at their expectant faces. Just as he was about to start answering, he heard the jingling of keys and the sound of the door opening. Maehara was back just in time!

 “I’m home!” Maehara called.

 “Welcome back,” Isogai responded, “I’ve got dinner over here.” Maehara hung up his coat and placed his keys on their key rack.

 “I’m still on for cooking tomorrow?”

 “As far as I know, yes.” Maehara appeared at the kitchen entranceway.

 “Oh! Rio-san, Megu-san! Yuuma mentioned you were coming over.”

 “Mmhmm? What else did he say?” Rio prompted.

 “Not much else,” Maehara responded. He grabbed Isogai’s waist and gave him a quick kiss. _That bastard’s hamming it up for them! And did Rio just take a picture?_ He let go and grabbed a plate from their pantry, filling it up with the rest of the meal he’d made for their guests.

 “How was class?” Isogai asked.

 “Not that bad. The due date for our project got pushed back, so we have more time to work on it.”

 “More time for you to procrastinate, you mean?”

 “You know it!” Maehara leaned against the counter next to Isogai, a plate in one hand and chopsticks in the other. “So how’s the semester going for you guys?”

 “Not too bad. IR Research is killing me,” Rio said, “It’s a lot.”

 “I took that last semester,” Megu said, “I told you, putting it off is just going to make it worse. Tell me, how many second years do you have in your class?” Rio groaned.

 “A lot.”

 “What did I say?”

 “When did you two even become friends?” Maehara asked in between bites, “Last I remember, you could barely stand each other.” Isogai silently thanked Maehara for asking the question that had been bugging him for a while.

 “We lived on the same floor our first year,” Megu explained, “We’re both in the same degree of study, so we also had a lot of classes together. Rio can actually be smart when she puts her mind to it.”

 “And Megu isn’t so stiff when she doesn’t need to be.” Rio gave a mischievous grin. “Especially with some sake in her system.” Megu froze up, and a blush tinted her cheeks. _Oh?_

 “Oh ho!” Maehara exclaimed, “I think there’s a story here!”

 “Ah, we don’t need to talk about that,” she assured.

 “I respectfully disagree,” Isogai said, “I, for one, am _very_ interested in this story.” Megu hid her head in her hands.

 “She got drunk and made out with Okajima.” Maehara choked on his food.

 “Eh?!” they exclaimed in unison. She looked up from her hands, and her face was bright red.

 “It was right after he told me about his new girlfriend too,” she said pathetically. Maehara roared with laughter.

 “No way!” Maehara said between laughs, “He doesn’t even go to our school! Isn’t he at some sort of arts school?” She nodded.

 “He is, but he somehow had a hook-up that let him into the party,” Rio explained, “You should have seen Megu’s face when she sobered up and realized what she had done.” She laughed.

 “Have you seen him since?” Isogai asked, genuinely curious.

 “Only once or twice,” she said.

 “But she turns bright red every time!” Rio jumped in, “It’s great!” Megu covered her face again. The hot water heater beeped and Isogai pulled out a teapot, placing some green tea leaves in it. The tea would steep in a couple of minutes.

 “ _Anyway_ ,” Megu said, trying to change the subject from literally anything that had to do with the fact that she had made out with Okajima. “So back to our original topic _before_ we started talking about irrelevant things...“

 “I personally don’t count that story as irrelevant, for the record,” Maehara said.

 “So when did you two start dating?” Rio asked, heading right to the point.

 “About two weeks and a half ago,” Maehara answered. Isogai poured four cups of tea, placing two of them in front of Rio and Megu. Isogai distinctly got the feeling that Megu was annoyed she hadn’t been told earlier.

 “And how did you guys confess?” They were like hungry birds, it was pathetic. Before Isogai could answer, Maehara jumped in.

 “Do you guys remember that stormy night a couple of weeks ago?”

 “Yeah?”

 “So it was that night,” Maehara started. Isogai knew exactly what kind of game Maehara was about to play. “We were walking home from campus together. We just had dinner together. Yuuma had forgotten his umbrella.”

 “For the second time that week,” Isogai muttered. That part was true at least. He took a sip of his tea.

 “We should get you another umbrella just to carry around,” Maehara suggested.

 “Just so I can forget that one too?”

 “I have more faith in you than that!”

 “I’m glad one of us does.”

 “Boys, the story,” Rio said impatiently.

 “Right, right,” Maehara said, “So anyway, so we’re sharing an umbrella together, pretty ineffectively I might add. As we’re crossing the street, a truck comes barreling by, soaking Yuuma to the bone.” _Why am I the one that gets wet in this story?_ The girls seemed into it though. “We manage to stop underneath a dry area not too far away, and of course Yuuma is _shivering_ like crazy. We pull off his coat and I offer him my sweater and coat until we can get back into the apartment. Since we’re basically the same size, we share clothes all the time.” This time Isogai did roll his eyes. It wasn’t a lie, but it definitely wasn’t necessary information. They were eating it up.

 “Yuuma is still shivering pretty badly though, so I take him into my arms.” This caught the girl’s attention, if their stupid smiles were anything to go by. Was Rio taking _notes?_ “I’m starting to get wet, but Yuuma’s shivering slowly begins to stop. I asked if he could make it back to the apartment alright. When he finally said yes, I pulled away.”

 “Mmhmm? And then what?” Rio asked, leaning forward on the table.

 “I’m getting there! So I feel his hand on my wrist and I turn around and realize that Yuuma isn’t just wet, but he’s in tears.” _Why in tears?_ Isogai wondered. “He wraps his arms around me and at this point, we’re both in the rain getting soaked. I ask him if he’s alright, and he says no. He tells me that there’s something that’s been weighing on his chest.” Maehara slipped his arm around Isogai’s waist, pulling him closer. “He’s hesitant, but he eventually comes out with it. Anyway, you guys can guess what happened after that.” Rio finished scribbling down whatever she was writing. Isogai gave Maehara a dead stare.

 “That story was pathetic, did you come up with it on the spot?” He could see the girls deflate a little. Did they really believe that?

 “Look, I didn’t have much to work with, a friend mentioned The Notebook the other day so I just went from there.”

 “Why do I have to be the one in tears?”

 “Come on, give me a break!”

 “It doesn’t matter,” Rio declares, “It’s going on my blog as is.”

 “You’re _blogging_ about us?!”

 “I’ve already tweeted some of the juicy bits, I gotta keep it consistent.” Isogai rolled his eyes. “The world has to know about this wonderful romance!” Maehara grinned.

 “Preach it!”

 “Don’t encourage her!” Isogai didn’t mind that much. He knew that Rio’s tweets were private among her friends, and not many people had to follow her blog. But it was embarrassing!

 “Well, I think we’d better go. We gotta work on our presentations for next week,” Megu said graciously (as if she had no part in this!). She stood up, taking her bag. Rio was not too far behind. Isogai escorted them to the door. “We’re glad to see you guys are doing well, and the meal was delicious. Hopefully we’ll see you soon.” Isogai smiled, he did enjoy having them over. He gave them both a final wave as they walked down the hallway to the elevator.

Just before he closed the door, he could hear Rio say, “I _still_ can’t believe the ikemen duo became the ikemen _couple._ ”

\---

Isogai bolted up from his bed. He was awake, wide-eyed, and hyperventilating. He shivered as the cold air touched his sweaty skin. _A nightmare. To think, it’s been almost five years since middle school and I’m still having nightmares._ He was shaking. _I just need to calm down, regulate my breathing, I’ll be fine._

 “Yuuma?” he heard a sleepy voice call out, “You oka’?”

 “I’m fine, Hiroto, go back to sleep.”

 “Wa’ it a nigh’mare? Hat’ those.”

 “Yeah, it was,” he said quietly. Maehara rolled over, and sat up, still bundled in his blanket. His long hair was all over the place, not that he cared. He gave Isogai a long look. “Don’t worry about it, Hiroto.” His boyfriend wasn’t listening. The blond grabbed his duvet and practically crawled over to him. Isogai blinked as Maehara pulled him into his chest. He wrapped his arms around him.

 “Jus’ listen to my breathing,” he said sleepily. Isogai was somewhat impressed that Maehara wasn’t totally awake yet. He pulled him down so they were both lying there, Maehara threw his duvet over them. Isogai didn’t seem to have a choice in this turn of events. He closed his eyes, feeling Maehara’s breathing pattern. _In. Out. In. Out._ He no longer felt hot. _In. Out. In. Out._ He stopped shaking. _In. Out._ Isogai looked up at Maehara. _That damn bastard’s already back asleep._ He felt his own eyelids get heavy. He wrapped his arms around Maehara’s waist. _This was your plan the whole time, wasn’t it, Hiroto?_ _You sly bastard._

As he succumbed to sleep, he realized that this was probably the quickest he’d ever recovered from one of his nightmares. It was comforting to know Maehara was there for them.   

They pushed their futons together the next day.

 

 

 (It was Maehara’s plan the whole time.)


	8. Shoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isogai's upset that his shoes have fallen apart, Maehara helps him out.

Isogai looked sadly upon the broken remnants of his shoes. It had been obvious that they had been wearing down since his second year, with the sole slowly falling apart and the scuffs becoming harder and harder to hide. But the sole had totally separated from the shoe, making it totally unrepairable. It had happened on his way to school and his foot was wet and covered in dirt. He thankfully had his tennis shoes at school, but _then_ he was in violation of the uniform policy.

He mentally calculated what the cost of getting a new pair of shoes would be. _Probably about 4000 yen for a cheap pair._ He winced. He’d just spent his money on groceries and on books for his siblings. He wouldn’t be paid for another week at the soonest. He had some money in his savings account, but he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to pull from it, especially because he wanted to save that money for later.

 “Woah, dude, what happened there?” a familiar voice asked. He looked up to see his best friend standing over his shoulder.

 “My shoes finally fell apart,” Isogai explained, “Happened on the walk up.”

 “I knew they were bad, but I didn’t realize they were that bad,” Maehara said, picking up the remnants of the sole, “What’re you gonna do for the day?”

 “Probably just wear my tennis shoes. I’m sure Karasuma-sensei and Koro-sensei would understand if I explained why I was out of uniform.” Not that Class E was particularly strict about the uniform policy. Half of their class opted for alternative outfits.

 “You gonna get new shoes tomorrow?”

 “I can’t for another week,” he admitted, “I just bought groceries.” He would probably be okay with tennis shoes for now, but they had a class representative meeting coming up, and he always wanted to present his best. Since Class E already wasn’t being taken seriously, he didn’t want to give them anymore reason to discredit them. He missed the contemplative look on Maehara’s face.

 “You’ll be okay, Yuuma, I’m sure Karasuma-sensei and Koro-sensei will understand.”

 “Thank you, Hiroto.”

Afterwards, Isogai did explain his situation to Koro-sensei and Karasuma-sensei both of whom were very understanding. Despite their blessings, Isogai spent the rest of the day distracted, pulling numbers from his head to see if he would have enough money by the meeting Thursday to purchase new shoes. He went home that evening a little dejected, though somewhat hopeful he could find a relative to donate him a new pair.

A surprise awaited him the next morning at school.There, in the middle of his locker, were brand new loafers. Isogai blinked, both surprised and confused. On top was a short note.

_For our perfect class representative_

_From: Class E and Koro-sensei_

His hair blew around as a familiar figure entered the room at Mach speed. “Do you like them?” a voice asked.

 “They’re fantastic!” Isogai exclaimed, picking them up. He turned around to face his sensei. “But I don’t understand, why did everyone…?”

 “Maehara-kun suggested it. He thought that since you worked so hard, that you deserved something nice. We all agreed. So we pitched in and got you some nice shoes from Italy!” Isogai was touched.

 “Thank you so much,” he said sincerely. He slipped off his tennis shoes, and slipped the new shoes on. “They fit great. It was Maehara’s suggestion?”

 “You bet!” Maehara intoned, stepping out from behind Koro-sensei. Isogai smiled sincerely.

 “You’re too kind, Maehara,” he said.

 “I can be thoughtful sometimes!” Isogai dragged him into a hug.

 “Thank you, Hiroto.”

 “It’s no problem, Yuuma.”

Neither of them noticed the glint in Koro-sensei’s eyes, but they _did_ hear his scheming cackling. Koro-sensei had just found a new project.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So what would your ideal partner be like?"
> 
> Maehara and Isogai confess to each other but are too dumb to realize it.

 “So what would your ideal boyfriend be like?” Maehara asked, looking carefully at Isogai. He frowned, this was out of nowhere. Why did his friend always insist on asking weird questions on their walk home?

 “What do you mean?”

 “Like, what would he look like? His personality? Y’know, the works.”

 “I haven’t really given it much thought,” Isogai admitted. That was a lie, he had given it a _lot_ of thought. Perhaps more thought than he really should have.

 “C’mon, you had to have thought of it at _some_ point,” Maehara urged. _Yeah, it’s you, you idiot._

 “Not really,” Isogai deflected.

 “I’m sure you can come up with something.” Maehara had a defiant smile. He really wasn’t going to let this drop, was he? Isogai sighed, defeated. Maehara’s eyes brightened, he knew he had won.

 “Well, I dunno about appearances, I never really thought that far.” _Light hair, light eyes, about the same height as me._ “But I want to be with someone that I’m comfortable with. Someone who can make me laugh. I would like someone who can tolerate my work schedule and would treat me every once in a while.” Maehara appeared thoughtful. Isogai really wasn’t sure he wanted to know what his friend was thinking.

 “I see, and you said you hadn’t thought this through.” Isogai turned a light shade of pink.

 “Well, what about you?” Isogai countered, “Who would your ideal partner be?”

 “Welllll~” Maehara sing-songed, “I think they’d have to be about my height, maybe an inch or two shorter. Dark hair, definitely.” He wasn’t flustered at all, Isogai was somewhat annoyed. “I would want them to be patient with me and take me seriously. They’ve also got to be a great cook and they should always laugh at my jokes.” Maehara paused, he was still thinking. “Oh! They’ve also got to be smart and keep me out of trouble. Most of the time, anyway.”

 “You’re awfully picky for someone who’s not very picky,” Isogai observed.

 “Nah, I just got to test the waters, maybe I’m wrong about what I’m looking for,” Maehara dismissed. He grinned. “Besides, if I ever settle down with someone, they’ve got to be perfect.”

 “You basically described me,” Isogai observed.

 “Hmm, I did, didn’t I?” He said. He wrapped his arm around Isogai's shoulder. “Well, what do you say, Yuuma? Want to be my girlfriend?” Isogai felt the heat rise to his cheeks. He knew Maehara was just kidding around, but still, to just outright ask him like that…

 “Pass,” he said, “I would rather not wear skirts.”

 “To each their own,” Maehara said with a laugh. Though as the conversation changed into something else. Maehara slowly realized.

_Yuuma basically described me too…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cue the beginning of a romcom where Maehara tries to get Isogai a boyfriend but then realizes that he's fallen for his best friend in the process......


	10. Shopping Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maehara hates shopping, so he comes up with a way to make it more interesting for everyone involved. Inspired by the official art for the Assassination Classroom event in Japan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the official art for the Assassination Classroom event where Maehara and Isogai /clearly/ had to have coordinated. http://40.media.tumblr.com/f83108f84c6b91597b83b2343c891d05/tumblr_noj40wz9H91unbnbto1_500.png
> 
> Also inspired by the fact that Maehara and Isogai are approximately the same size and could probably share clothes.

Maehara was currently stuck in self-described “Shopping Hell.” For the last two hours, he had been stuck at a mall, watching Yada, Okano, and Kataoka try on dresses.

 “I still can’t believe we have to host this stupid event for Class A,” he grumbled, for what was probably the seventeenth time that day. He ran his fingers through his hair, “I also can’t believe we’ve been here for _three_ hours.” Isogai rubbed his back.

 “The Class E hosting Class A event is tradition. We knew this was coming up for a while. We should just be lucky that the school is paying for our outfits.” It didn’t reassure Maehara.

 “We’re finishing up anyway,” Okano assured, “Megu-san’s finally found her dress.”

 “I don’t understand, that first one she tried on was fine,” Maehara protested. Okano and Yada rolled their eyes, they couldn’t expect Maehara to understand at all.

 “It’s our turn next, Maehara-kun,” Isogai said. Maehara just groaned.

 “Does it have to be? I have formal attire, why can’t I use that?”

 “Are you talking about the formal attire you got _three_ years ago?”

 “Yeah, what’s wrong with it?”

 “Maehara, I know for a fact that you’ve grown at least six inches since then,” Isogai said. Kataoka walked towards them, a new shopping bag in tow.

 “I don’t see your point.” Isogai rolled his eyes and gripped his wrists.

 “C’mon, the faster we get through this the faster we can go home.” Maehara had to concede that point. He couldn’t avoid it any longer.

 “You guys ready?” Kataoka asked. The two boys nodded, standing up. Maehara stretched his back before walking towards the men’s clothing store.

 “Any idea what you guys want to get?” Okano asked. Maehara frowned.

 “I don’t understand, isn’t a tux just a tux?”

 “No!” She exclaimed, “You can choose different tie colors, vest colors, even blazer colors! It’s not just about being boring!” She waved off his dismissal. Maehara stood a bit straighter, he had an idea.

 “Hey Isogai, why don’t we turn it into a game?” Isogai regarded him with interest.

 “I’m listening.”

 “So what if we pick out outfits for each other?” Maehara suggested.

 “I don’t see how that’s a game,” Yada said dryly.

 “It’ll make things fun!” Maehara defended, “If I _have_ to do this, I might as well enjoy doing it.”

“You enjoy picking clothes out for Isogai?” Kataoka asked.

“I like shopping for other people,” Maehara said defensively.

Isogai jumped into the conversation, “Let’s do it. But we can’t show the other our outfit until we get into the fitting room.”

 “Done!” Maehara agreed. It was always a lot more fun to shop for others than it was to shop of himself. They entered the store, immediately split up into separate directions. The girls convened between themselves before finding a place to sit.

 “We expect a fashion show!” Yada called as they sat down. Maehara immediately headed towards the shirts. _If I’m making an outfit, it makes sense to start from the base, right?_ He browsed the shirts, becoming more and more confused as he looked at them. As Okano had said, there were a number of colors, including white, black, gray, blue, yellow, and even purple.

He reached towards one, feeling its weight. _What the hell is the difference between a tailored fit and a slim fit?_ He decided it didn’t matter that much. He gravitated towards the white shirts. He picked up a plain one. As hilarious as Isogai would look in ruffles and pinstripes, he didn’t think that would get them out any faster. He found Isogai’s size and tucked it under his armpit. He headed towards the dressing rooms, claiming one and placing the shirt in there. It would do no good for Isogai to see it.

_Okay, shirt. Check. Vest?_ He looked around, his eyes finally falling on the vest section. It was small, but there were still plenty of options. He picked up a hanger with a bright pink vest on it. _Damn, maybe I should’ve gotten the ruffled shirt._ He chuckled to himself before placing it back on the rack. _Do I want black? Nah, that’s too boring for Yuuma._ His fingers landed on an olive vest with three buttons. He examined it closer. It was Isogai’s size, it wasn’t too bright, nor was it too boring. He shrugged and went to go place it in the fitting room.

He stopped as he saw his friend enter the fitting room next to his. Maehara caught a glimpse of something red. _That’s a thought. Maybe not a vest or blazer though, that’s too bright for Yuuma. Maybe a tie or something?_ Isogai exited, gave him a smile, before heading in the directions of the dress pants. Maehara added the vest and went to look at blazers.

Unlike the vests and shirts, there were only a few options. He browsed through the basic black blazers, somewhat disappointed that he couldn’t find Isogai’s size. He could get the same blazer but with a satin trim, but that seemed like too much. Maybe something that was slightly shiny?

No, that wouldn’t work either.

His eyes fell on the sale section. In between ostentatious red and green blazers was a black top coat. He pulled it out to examine. Sure enough, it was styled similarly to the basic ones he was looking at, the only difference being that it was a little longer. He held his breath as he searched for the size tag. _Perfect! It’s Yuuma’s size!_ He let the hanger dangle on the ends of his fingers as he went to pull Isogai’s size pants. He quickly compared the fabrics before placing them in Isogai’s fitting room.

“Maehara, are you almost done?” Isogai asked.

“Almost, just need to grab one more thing!” He called back. He quickly walked towards the ties, hoping he could find a bright red one. He grinned as he plucked one from the pile. “Isogai, close your eyes, I’m adding one last thing to your fitting room.”

“Right, right,” Isogai said as he covered his eyes. Maehara placed the tie on top of the shirt. He closed the door most of the way.

“Alright Isogai, you ready for the grand reveal?”

“Naturally, Maehara.” They switched positions. “3…2…1.” The simultaneously pushed the doors open. Maehara blinked at the odd sight in front of him. For a brief moment, he thought he had opened the wrong door. There, in front of him, was the exact same outfit he had picked out. He roared with laughter. Isogai mimicked him.

“I can’t believe it, you didn’t see me pick any of this out, did you?”

“No, not all,” Isogai said, wiping a tear away from his eye, “You didn’t sneak a peek either?”

“Nope! We know each other too well, Yuuma.”

“I guess so. Do we want to pick something else?”

“Nah, we gotta commit,” Maehara decided, slipping into the fitting room.

“Come on, boys, we want to see!” Kataoka called.

“We’ll be out shortly, Kataoka-san!” Isogai replied. Now that Maehara was trying on the shirts, he realized that there were some differences. Isogai had pulled a cravat instead of a tie, and he was wearing a blazer instead of a topcoat. Honestly, he was probably wearing the blazer that he had been looking for earlier. Other than that, their outfits were identical. He laughed at the thought. This had turned out better than he had imagined.

He slipped on the blazer and stepped out of the fitting room. Isogai was not too far behind him.

“Hold on, your cravat is on wrong,” Isogai said. He reached out and adjusted the neckpiece. “There, all better.” Maehara rolled his shoulders, trying to get an idea of how the tux restricted his movements.

 “Are you ladies ready?” He asked. They heard them cheer. Together, they walked out. Maehara wrapped his arm around Isogai’s shoulder. “How do we look?” The girls stared.

 “There’s no way you two didn’t coordinate that,” Okano accused.

 “It was a total coincidence,” Isogai said, the laughter still in his voice, “But it works out, don’t you think?”

 “Mmhmm,” Kataoka said. She looked them up and down, “So when are you guys going to walk out in the real outfits?”

 “These are the real outfits,” Maehara said, “There’s no rule saying we can’t match at the event! Right, Isogai?”

 “You are right,” Isogai confirmed, “I think we look pretty good together, right Maehara?”

 “Absolutely.” Kataoka rolled her eyes.

 “If you say so.”

They did say so. A week later, at the event, they were the most popular hosts. Kataoka was not amused. 


	11. Dancing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isogai doesn't know how to ballroom dance, Maehara finds this unacceptable.

 “What do you think?” Maehara asked, modeling his new tux for Isogai.

 “It’s almost perfect,” Isogai commented, standing up, “Your pocket square is just a little lopsided.” He adjusted the green silk fabric until it sat straight up. His fingertips touched the knot in Maehara’s tie, tightening it. He stepped back, admiring his work. “Now you’re perfect.”

 “I’m always perfect,” Maehara countered. Isogai chuckled as his friend turned to look at himself in the mirror. “You’ve got to teach me that handkerchief trick, it looks great.”

 “Maybe later.” Isogai took a step back. “Looking good.”

 “What’re you gonna do about your tux?” Maehara asked.

 “Mom has an old one of my dad’s. It’s a little big, but it should work. I bought a purple tie and pocket square yesterday.” Maehara nodded.

 “You should’ve gotten a green one. Then we could match.” Isogai gave him a level look.

 “You know we don’t need to coordinate for _every_ formal event, right?”

 “What’s the fun if we don’t?” Isogai rolled his eyes. “That’s alright, I’ll get us matching flowers to pin to our suits.” Maehara began to undo his tie, ready to change back into his normal clothes. “By the way, do you want to be my date to the wedding?” Isogai blinked. Date?

 “Is it normal to bring dates to weddings?”

 “Yeah! I was gonna ask one of the girls, but they’ve decided to go as a group, leaving me dateless.”

 “What would we even do?”

 “Y’know, sit together during the ceremony, take photos together, eat together, and dance together at the reception.” Maehara grinned. “If you’re lucky, you’ll also get a kiss at the end of the night.” Isogai wasn’t sure why his stomach was flipping at the thought.

 “Let’s nix that last part, and I don’t know how to dance, though.”

 “You don’t know how to dance?”

 “Hiroto, why would I need to know that?” Maehara was already at his computer, pulling up songs. Isogai stood there, somewhat exasperated.

 “Yuuma, it’s my duty to teach you! Can you move the coffee table out of the way while I bring up some songs?”

 “Hold on! You don’t need to teach me, I’ll figure it out at the wedding.”

 “Why _wouldn’t_ we be doing this? Knowing Irina-sensei, there’s bound to be ballroom dancing during the reception. You don’t want your first time dancing to be in public, do you?”

 “I just wouldn’t dance,” Isogai protested, changing his mind.

 “No, no, we can’t have that. Now push the coffee table against the wall.” Isogai let out an exasperated sigh and reluctantly complied. Maehara pressed play on the computer. He came over to Isogai and held his left hand up. “Alright, so put your right hand in mine.” Isogai, with only a moment’s hesitation, let their hands cup.

 “Now what?”

 “Put your hand on my shoulder.” Maehara’s arm slid under his, resting his hand on Isogai’s back.

 “Are you teaching me the girl’s part?”

 “Of course I am, who else are you going to be dancing with? Are you going to cheat on me, Yuuma?” Maehara countered.

 “I didn’t realize being your date was so involved,” Isogai commented.

 “Oh, so you _will_ be my date, then?”

 “I haven’t agreed quite yet, Hiroto.”

 “If you say so,” Maehara said. They adjusted their hands so they were a little more comfortable. “You’ll be stepping backwards with your right foot. You’ll be taking two steps backwards. You think you got that?” Isogai laughed.

 “I think I can manage that.” Maehara stepped forward as Isogai took a step backwards. Isogai was a little impressed that they were already in sync.

 “What next?”

 “You’ll step to your right, and bring your left foot next to it.”

 “Alright.” Isogai followed Maehara as he stepped to the side.

 “Then we repeat that.”

 “Seems easy enough.” Together, they repeated the steps. Isogai was beginning to get a feel for the dance. They had to keep turning to avoid running into things, but it didn’t affect their rhythm. It was actually more enjoyable that he thought it would be. He could vaguely hear that they were out of time with the music, but neither cared. They shared a smile.

 “Ready to add something new?”

 “Yeah, I think so.”

 “Okay, after you step to the side, step one more time to the side, making it a little wider step.” Isogai followed his directions. “Bring your left foot in, then move it back. Now bring your right foot back to where it originally was. Then do the two quick steps like we have been doing.”

 “So we’re adding a back and forth step in the middle?”

 “Yeah, basically.”

 “I think I can handle that,” Isogai said.

 “I dunno, are you sure about that?” Maehara teased, leading Isogai through the steps.

 “Pretty sure.” The stepped together to the rhythm, with only a few stumbles here and there.

 “Where did you even learn this?” Isogai asked.

 “Back in middle school, I asked Irina to teach me since I thought it’d be useful someday. At the time, I thought I’d use it to seduce a girl in Class 3-B, but that never happened. You’re actually the first person I’ve gotten to dance with.”

 “I’m touched,” Isogai said. Maehara gently led him into a turn. Although he had not taught him this move, he was familiar enough with the steps for it not to jar him.

 “Is it working? Are you being seduced yet?”

 “Not so sure on that.” He went quiet as he turned an idea over in his head. “Although… I don’t think I’d mind being your date to the wedding.”

 “Now that I taught you to dance, you have no choice!”

 “I’ll pass on the kiss, though.” Maehara laughed.

 “We’ll see about that, no one gets out of it that easy!”

They continued to dance, neither noticing that the music had long since stopped. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative summary: the boys continue to be incredibly dense


	12. Distractions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isogai studies too much and Maehara discovers the perfect way to distract him.

Maehara watched as his boyfriend frantically scribbled notes from the study book. Man, he knew that college entrance exams were rough, but he didn’t think Isogai had to be so damn worried. He was at the top of the class, just behind Asano and Karma. If anything, it was Maehara that should be worrying.

 “Oi, Yuuma?” Maehara prompted. He got no response. Isogai was stuck between the pages of literature analysis. “Yuuma? YUUMA!” Isogai jolted out of the text. He looked up, somewhat dazed.

 “Oh! Hiroto, it’s just you,” he said simply.

 “Just me?” Maehara said, “Is that anyway to greet your boyfriend?”

 “Ah, I’m sorry, I’ve been studying all day.” Maehara snorted.

 “I know, Yuuma, I’ve been here for three hours.”

 “You have?!” Isogai exclaimed, glancing at the clock, “Oh no, I didn’t realize. I’m so sorry, Hiroto.”

 “It’s fine,” Maehara said honestly. He knew the pressure Isogai was under to get a scholarship, he didn’t want to get in the way of that. Though his stupid friend still needed breaks sometimes… “Why don’t you come outside with me? We can take a walk around.”

 “Sorry, I’ve got to get back to this, I was halfway through a practice exam.” Maehara sighed.

 “I’ll make dinner, then,” he said, standing up. If Isogai wasn’t going to take care of himself, then Maehara would do it for him. Isogai mutely nodded, already enthralled in the book. Maehara let a small sigh escape his lips as he went into the kitchen. What was he going to do with Isogai?

He absentmindedly pulled a frozen meal out of the freezer. Isogai studying had been moderate until their teacher had started mentioning entrance exams. He’d become more withdrawn, holed up in his room, reading through books and taking practice tests. Maehara knew it wasn’t healthy, that Isogai should be taking breaks, but he didn’t know how to take him out of it. Anytime he snapped out of it, he’d fall right back into his books a few minutes later. He hummed to himself.

They had been dating for only a few weeks now, and it had been a little more than awkward for the both of them. The transition from lifelong friends to boyfriends hadn’t been without a few hiccups. Maehara smiled gently as he stuck the meal in the microwave. Though, he definitely wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hopefully dinner would knock him out of it for a night (or at least a few hours). His boyfriend needed some serious time to relax. But if dinner didn’t do it, what else could? Maybe he could play loud music until Isogai couldn’t concentrate anymore? (although that would most likely just get him kicked out of the house.) Maybe he could physically drag him out?

Maehara scooped out cups of rice from the rice cooker and pulled the meal out of the microwave. He poured the curry over the rice. Maybe he could put on their favorite movie or something?

 “Yuuma! Dinner’s ready,” he called. He opened the door, the bowls in his hand. Maehara frowned, Isogai didn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. When he began to eat while reading, Maehara groaned. Stupid dumb boyfriend……

Maehara absentmindedly weighed the pros and cons of physically taking him out of the room versus playing loud music. An idea flitted into his head. He smiled, well, since they were dating now, he had a couple more options on his plate.

 “Yuuma,” he said, sitting next to him, “Yuuma!” Isogai jolted out of his studying briefly.

 “I’m so sorry, Hiroto, I’ve been a terrible host,” he said.

 “I know how important it is to you that you do well on the entrance exams,” Maehara said, “But come with me and take a break.”

 “I can’t, I’m halfway through this reading,” Isogai said turning back to the pages.  

 “Yuuma,” Maehara said seriously, grabbing his shoulder. Isogai’s brief moment of hesitance was all Maehara needed. He pressed his lips against Isogai’s, coaxing him out of his studying daze. He ran his fingers through Isogai’s hair, pulling him closer and urging him away from the table. Isogai was a little more than surprised, if his stiff posture and wide-eyes were any indication. Then, bit by bit, Maehara felt him relax and melt into the kiss. Out of the corner of his eye, Maehara noticed the pencil slipping out of Isogai’s grip. _Almost there._ Finally, with a gasp, the pencil clattered to the ground and Isogai’s attention was fully on him.

Maehara broke away.

 “Alright Yuuma, let’s take a walk,” he said. Isogai was flushed and wide-eyed. Isogai glanced back at his books.

 “Yeah…” he said, “Yeah, let’s take a walk.” Their fingers intertwined and Maehara pulled Isogai up. He gave Isogai another peck as they left the house. Maehara grinned, thinking to himself, _I have a foolproof way to distract Yuuma._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isogai's obsessiveness inspired by the stories I've heard of my roommate studying for the LSAT. Don't go to law school, kids. (also becca if you read this don't let jenny know she's inspired gay fanfiction)


	13. Puppy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isogai and Maehara adopt a puppy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I looked up popular japanese dog names for this ficlet and both Yuuma and Hiroto are popular dog names. Further proof that they are both just big giant puppy dogs.

 “Yuuma, I have a problem,” Maehara called as he entered the house. Isogai was immediately alert, closing his book.

 “What is it, Hiroto?” Isogai asked, his eyes on his boyfriend.

 “This,” Maehara declared, opening the door to reveal a puppy. It yapped and ran into the apartment, tripping over its legs in the process. It stumbled to the ground, picked itself up, and began sniffing Isogai’s legs. Isogai stared dumbfounded at the puppy.

 “What the-?” He looked up, “You adopted a dog?”

 “No! It adopted me!” Maehara exclaimed. He closed the door behind him, dropping his bag to the ground. “I fed it some scraps while I was eating dinner, and before I knew it, it wouldn’t leave me alone!” The puppy wagged its tail happily. Isogai reached down to let it sniff his hand.

 “The puppy adopted you?” Isogai repeated, a little more than amused. Isogai placed his book on their coffee table. He looked over the very excited pup, checking to see if there was a collar.

 “I already checked, I think he’s a stray,” Maehara said, taking a seat next to Isogai on the couch.

 “He can’t be more than a few weeks old,” Isogai observed. The puppy was now happily running around their apartment, exploring and sniffing everything. “I think he’s a golden retriever.” Isogai chuckled. “He probably saw your hair and thought you were his mother.” Maehara frowned and ruffled his hair.

 “Huh.”

 “So what’re we going to do with it?” Isogai asked, looking at Maehara. The puppy had returned to Maehara’s side and was licking his leg. Maehara picked it up, placing it on his lap.

 “W-well…” Isogai almost groaned, the puppy and Maehara were giving him the _exact same look._

 “Hiroto, you’re already attached, aren’t you?” He didn’t say anything, he just held the puppy up higher. The puppy just looked happy to be around people. “We can’t afford to take care of him! We need to get dog food, wash him, give him walks, take him to the vet…”

 “But Yuuma…” Maehara whined.

 “He’s going to need toys, a leash, he’ll need to be taken out several times a day…” Isogai continued. Maehara scooted closer to them, the puppy was now at his face. It gave him a lick. “W-we should give him to a shelter.”

 “Yuuuummmmaaaa.” Isogai hesitantly took the puppy from Maehara’s hands. It excitedly licked his face. Isogai let out a laugh. Maehara grinned. “He’s giving you kisses!” Isogai collapsed on the couch, allowing the puppy to settle on his chest for a nap.

 “We shouldn’t keep him,” Isogai said seriously as he absently pet the puppy.

 “We can make it work, I have plenty of money in savings, and I start my new job soon,” Maehara said. Isogai nodded mutely.

 “Damn, I can’t resist either of your puppy-dog eyes.” Maehara brightened. “Fine, we can keep him.”

 “What should we name him?” Maehara asked excitedly. Isogai rolled his eyes. No wonder the puppy thought Maehara was his mother, his boyfriend was just as excitable as the damn dog. He looked between his boyfriend and the puppy. He gently smiled.

 “What about Akihiro? Great brightness?” His boyfriend grinned.

 “I love it.” 

 Isogai guessed he now had _two_ puppies. 


	14. Red Light District AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maehara goes through life without thinking. He does his job, gets paid, and enjoys some of life's little pleasures. Like the cute looking bartender at his favorite bar...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> based on this art and au idea by [askmaeiso](http://askmaeiso.tumblr.com/post/128348406361)  
> this is like my favorite thing i've ever written

Maehara Hiroto tapped his fingers against the grimy and worn down bar. The wood was worn away from years of glasses clinking against the mahogany, fingernails slowly chipping away at past scars. The air was thick with drunken laughter, lust, and smoke. The musty smell wasn’t unfamiliar to Maehara, who had spent the last five years of his life reveling and living in it. He lit a cigarette, taking in the taste of the nicotine and enjoying the brief high it gave him.

The Rosy Octopus wasn’t the  _best_  bar in the area. It didn’t even make the top ten, if Maehara’s experiences were any indication. The glasses were frosted with years of muck that no amount of cleaning could ever get rid of. He had spotted more than one rat on more than one occasion, and flies could never stay out.

_Although,_  Maehara thought, as a familiar bartender approached him,  _At least the view is nice._  He crinkled his nose.

“Do you have to smoke that here?”

“I’m allowed, aren’t I?”

“You’ll give yourself cancer.”  _It wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to me._ He sighed and stubbed the butt of it into the cigarette snuffer. Isogai gave him a smile, the same smile that always lit up the room.

“The usual, Maehara?” he asked, already pulling out a rocks glass.

“You’ve got it,” he intoned, leaning on his arm. Isogai Yuuma had been the bartender here for a few years now. He was the one positive part of his day. There was something about their conversations, the smile he gave him as he handed him his drink (although Maehara couldn’t be quite sure that wasn’t because Isogai knew he tipped well), that made his day a little brighter.

“Rough day at work?” he asked, pushing the whiskey across the bar to him. Isogai had never asked him what he did, but there weren’t many respectable jobs in this part of town. It was pretty easy to narrow down.

“You could call it that,” he muttered, taking a swig of the whiskey. A client had tried to cheat him out of his pay, and he hadn’t been quite so amicable to Maehara’s demands. He’d managed to get half of it, but not without a black eye, a bloody nose, and his boss’s furious kicks.

“This one’s on me,” Isogai said, pulling out another rocks glass for him.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” he insisted, already pouring the drink. It was things like  _that_. Isogai was probably the kindest person he knew. Not that there was really a high standard there. Hell, a kid giving him gum on the street would be right below Isogai on that list. He downed the rest of his first drink, enjoying the burn of the alcohol down his throat, and the pleasant buzz it afforded him. Isogai attended to the couple next to him, whose mouths only took a break from each other to place orders and drink.

Maehara took a swig of his second drink. Maybe if he drank more, it would numb the pain in his face.

“Here,” a familiar voice said. Maehara looked up at his bartender, who was holding out a rag full of ice. “It’ll help the swelling.” Maehara hesitated for a moment. A brief thought flashed in his head,  _What did he want in return?_  He shook that thought away, Isogai wasn’t like that. He took the dirty rag and placed it against his eye. He winced at the cold, but didn’t move it away. Isogai gave him a smile.  _Who does he think he is smiling at me like that?_

“You deal with black eyes often?” Isogai chuckled, taking out another rag to clean the bar.

“Not exactly. My younger siblings used to get hurt a lot.” Maehara stirred his class.

“Siblings?” he asked. The bartender had never been very forthcoming about his life. This was new. “How many you got?”

“A younger sister and brother,” he said, “Do you have any siblings yourself?”

“Nah, I’m an only child.”  _And what a disappointment I turned out to be. I’m sure mom loves that I whore myself out for money._  Maehara finished his drink at the thought. Isogai hummed thoughtfully.

“You seem like an only child.” What the hell was that supposed to mean? Before Maehara could ask, Isogai was already at the other side of the bar, mixing some kind of fruity cocktail for some blonde tourists. He frowned, swirling the remnants of his drink.  _The ice does numb the pain in my face_ , he mused.  He waited patiently for Isogai to return, but a burst of visitors left him busy, filling orders, opening and closing tabs. Maehara observed him move around the bar like an expert.

Isogai was kind and thoughtful, which were not traits many people in this area could hold onto. He was also remarkably educated. If he had to guess, he would say that he was probably college educated, another unusual trait around here. Maehara himself had barely gotten his high school diploma, and no college would take him.  

How had a guy like Isogai ended up here anyway?

The question had been at the tip of his tongue for a while now, but under the haze of four cups of whiskey and a bad day, his lips were looser than usual. When the bar finally started to clear out and Isogai finally had a moment to breath, the dreaded question escaped his thoughts.

“How did a guy like you end up here anyway?”

The bartender froze, his hands frozen in the middle of drying out a glass. Maehara regretted his words almost as soon as he asked them. There were a lot of reasons people ended up here, none of them were particularly pleasant.

“Forget I said anything,” he muttered.

“W-why do you ask?” he asked, flustered. Maehara marveled at the sight. It was actually kind of cute to see him lose his composure.

His mouth was moving before he could stop himself. “You’re too kind to be here. Too damn smart, too, for that matter. You coulda been a business man, or a lawyer or some shit. So why are you here, serving a whore drinks on a Thursday night?” Isogai hesitated, turning Maehara’s words over in his head. He set down the glass on the bar with a soft clink.  

“My parents died,” he started quietly, “With no relatives, I had to take care of my younger siblings on my own. I was in college at the time and I tried to balance everything, but the cost and the time demands were too much. So I dropped out.” Isogai took his empty glass and filled it back up. He put it up to his lips and took a sip before handing it back. Maehara couldn’t fault him, it was fair enough. “My boyfriend at the time encouraged me to take bartending classes, and I had plenty of experience waiting tables. He had connections here, which is how I got my job.” He pulled another glass out and started drying it. “Although, since he had connections  _here_ , I should’ve suspected he was a cheating asshole.” Maehara was enraptured by his words.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Isogai shrugged.

“I really don’t mind it. What’s done is done. The people here tip well, and it pays the bills.” He smiled. “And my little brother is heading off to college soon with a full scholarship.”

“Will you go back to school?” Maehara asked, swirling the glass around in his hand.

“I’ve thought about it.”

“You should,” Maehara encouraged, “Get out of here. Someone like you should do something good with your life. Better than I could do anyway.” Isogai hummed in thought.

“Although, then I wouldn’t get to see my favorite regular all the time.” It took Maehara’s drunken mind a moment to realize what he meant. By that time, Isogai had gone to close a tab. Maehara placed the now wet and cold rag on the bar. He smiled at the empty glass of whiskey on the bar, thinking over Isogai’s words.

He looked up at Isogai counting the cash he had just been handed and laughing with his customers. He really was the brightest part of his day, every day. He chuckled to himself.

It had been a while since he had a crush on somebody. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a sequel in which isogai's ex comes to the bar and starts verbally harassing him and maehara's like welp time to get into a bar fight


	15. Happy Birthday, Isogai!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maehara can't bake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do you mean isogai's birthday was two days ago i dont know what you're saying (i'm terrible gomen everyone)

 “He’ll love it!” Maehara declared as he stood back to admire their work. The lopsided-mess was roughly coated in a sugary handmade frosting. The red frosting read _Hapy Birthday, Yuuna!_ (Maehara wondered if it was really a good idea to let the kids write the words, but it was too late now).

 “It’s kind of funny looking,” Rei said, standing on the stool to get a better look. Maehara lightly hit him with the wooden spoon.

 “Don’t stand on that, it’s not safe,” he scolded. Rei scowled at him, but obediently sat down.

 “But Hiro-nii-san!”

 “Your brother will have my head if you get hurt.”

 “Whatever,” he huffed. Maehara let off a fond sigh. He turned towards the other occupant.

 “Hana, what do you think?”

 “Brother will love it!” she exclaimed. Maehara smiled. Even if it wasn’t the best, he knew Isogai would love the thought of it. “When’s he gonna be home, Hiro-nii?” Maehara had to think for the moment.

 “I dunno, probably in half an hour or so?” he said, “The meeting today is supposed to go long.”

 “But I want him to see it now!” Hana whined. Maehara tapped her on the head with his spoon. She rubbed the spot.

 “You’ve got to be patient, Hana. Your brother is very important and very busy, you can’t expect him to be here all the time.”

 “But…but I want to see him more!” she whined, her bottom lip wobbling a little. Maehara sighed and put down the spoon. Ever since their father had died, Isogai had taken on so many more responsibilities. There were probably days where Isogai left before they woke up and came back long after they had gone to bed. Maehara was lucky enough to be in the same class and see him every day. Hana and Rei didn’t have the same kind of advantage. He picked her up, stumbling a bit under her weight. _I’m going to have to stop doing this soon,_ he thought to himself somewhat sadly. She settled in his arms, looking over the cake.

 “He’ll be here soon, I promise,” Maehara assured, “Then you’ll have the whole day with him.”

 “The WHOLE day?” Rei asked, incredulous. Maehara chuckled.

 “Of course.” Their eyes shined at the news. He let Hana down, allowing her to excitedly run around with her brother. Maehara gave them a sad smile. It couldn’t be easy to never see your brother. He didn’t even know what he’d do if he didn’t get the chance to Isogai every day.

But those were thoughts for another day. He had another, more pressing issue to deal with at the moment.

The kitchen.

He turned around to face the problem he had been pretending for the last hour and a half didn’t exist. It was a _mess._ Ingredients were strewn all over the countertops, the stove, and oven. Cake batter and icing was splattered across the cabinets, floor, and god, were they even on the _ceiling?_ That wasn’t even _counting_ the dishes that had to be done. How the hell was he going to get this cleaned up before Isogai came back?

 “Hey Hana, Rei?” The kids stopped playing.

 “Yeah, Hiro-nii?” Rei said.

 “Why don’t we clean up this mess?” Simultaneously they looked at him, then to the kitchen, and back to him. Their faces went through a range of emotion. First they were grinning, which transformed into horror, and then into contemplation.

 “We could try and hide it,” Hana suggested.

 “If we burn the kitchen down…” Rei said. Maehara buried his head in his hands. How on earth did these kids get these kind of idea?! As if to answer his dismay, he could hear the sound of a key click and the doorknob turn. They simultaneously turned towards the door, where a very surprised Isogai stood. Maehara realized they must look ridiculous. Covered in flour, cake batter, and frosting.

 “Happy birthday, brother!” Rei and Hana chorused, their previous musing totally forgotten as their eyes fell on their older brother. Maehara shrugged and joined in.

 “Happy birthday, Yuuma!” His best friend stood dumbfounded at the sight in front of him. His bag hung limply from his shoulder and his expression was unreadable. Then, as if his worries were being peeled away, he started chuckling, then giggling, and then he was full on roaring with laughter. The grins on Rei and Hana’s faces hadn’t faded, they had only grown bigger.

 “Y-you guys!” Isogai said between laughs. He dropped his bag to the floor and held his arms out. Hana and Rei scurried to him, bouncing with each step. They engulfed him in a hug, tightly clinging to him.

 “Brother!” they simultaneously exclaimed. Maehara felt himself smile. It was nice that they’d get this time together. When they finally separated, Isogai’s immaculate school uniform was covered in flour and the remnants of cake batter.

 “Did you guys do this all by yourself?” he asked.

 “No, Hiro-nii helped!” Hana exclaimed. She pointed towards Maehara, who gave a short wave. Isogai smiled gently.

 “Were you responsible for this?”

 “Well, Rei and Hana had the idea, I just helped.”

 “I see.” He was led to the kitchen by his two siblings, who jumped on the chair to show him the cake.

 “We worked hard on it!” Isogai’s eyes were on everything else but the cake. His eyes were looking over the destruction of the kitchen.

 “I can see that,” he said, a chuckle in his voice. His eyes lingered on Maehara’s face before looking down at the misshapen cake. “It’s wonderful.”

\---

Maehara sat next to Isogai at the floor of his bed. It had taken a solid two hours to clean the kitchen and themselves. Rei and Hana had fallen asleep in their room, curled up next to each other (and if Maehara was being completely honest, he kind of wanted to join them in their slumber).

 “I remembered why I don’t bake,” Maehara said. Isogai chuckled, leaning into him. His head rested on Maehara’s shoulder.

 “I’m glad you did though,” Isogai admitted, “I spend the hour at the class rep meeting getting ignored and yelled at over our actions at the school festival.”

 “We won honestly!”

 “I know that, but not everyone is happy over it.” He let a sigh, its warm touch breezing past Maehara’s neck. He felt the goosebumps along his arms. _Damn, why do I keep having these weird feelings?_ “Today’s not been great.”

 “I’m sorry to hear that, Yuuma.”

 “But it’s much better now,” he corrected. Maehara was mentally debating if it would be weird to hold his friend’s hand. “The cake was delicious.”

 “They really liked making it. If Rei and Hana can ever learn how to bake without making a mess, they’ll own a bakery in no time.” Isogai chuckled. Maehara could feel the rumble of his chest from their proximity. _Okay, it’s not too weird, right? No, it’s weird._

 “I’d like to see that. I could see Rei working well in the back, making the menu and giving sweet treats to the neighborhood kids.” Maehara muttered his agreement.

 “Hana would be great in the front. I could see her as a hostess, maybe even a barista,” he added. “Then you’d be in the back making sure the business all works out.”

 “Yeah,” he said wistfully, “That’d be fun.” _His hand is inches away from mine. I could just pretend I didn’t notice, right?_ He moved his hand towards Isogai’s, but paused, just centimeters away. _No, I shouldn’t._ They fell into comfortable silence, neither needing to speak. Maehara felt the warmth radiating from his friend. It was nice, especially against the sharp cold of fall.

 “Your birthday is coming up,” Isogai said.

 “I guess it is.”

 “What’d you want to do?”

 “I’m not sure,” Maehara admitted. In the past, he had always had friends over for a small celebration. They’d open presents, eat copious amounts of cake and candy, and play video games. This yeah, he wasn’t so sure what he wanted to do.

 “Hmm, maybe I could bring Rei and Hana to your house to bake a cake.”

 “Yuuma!” Isogai dissolved into infectious laughter. Before Maehara knew it, they were both laughing together. “Maybe we could do something small, just you and me.”

 “That’d be nice,” Isogai agreed. _Screw it._ Maehara reached out to clasp Isogai’s hand. He shifted a little, but didn’t protest or comment. They sat there for a beat, just enjoying each other’s company. “It’s been a good day.”

 “Yeah. Happy birthday, Yuuma.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if u think i'm writing a follow-up for maehara's birthday, you're wrong. i have something much stupider planned for him.


End file.
